Mrs. Moore's Musings

I woke up Wednesday morning and did what I always do.  I made a cup of coffee, turned on my local news, and grabbed my iPad.  My husband had sent me a text message at 2am telling me I was right, it was over, and Mr. Trump had won.  It said some other private things that I will cherish forever, but that is private.  I feel like, as a nation, we've forgotten some things can be private.  My husband and I have never discussed who we voted for or why in public forums.  We watched the debates, and as a teacher of language, my students and I discussed both candidates' rhetoric.  We discussed the different media approaches to the election, and had lively, thoughtful discussions.  I would wager that many of my students have no idea who I voted for.  It never came up.  I am a teacher of language.  We analyzed the language on both sides and had wonderful discussions about how both candidates were attempting to address their target audience....

Welcome 2016!  For the past two years, I have selected a word to focus on.  I saw a guy talking about it on the Today show, and I was hooked on the idea.  The first year, 2014, was the year my son graduated from high school.  I picked the word "cherish" and I did my best to focus on enjoying the process.  Last year, I picked the word "embrace" because I knew it would be a year of a lot of change. This year, my word found me.  In the last month of the year, I had several things happen that drew this word to me. First of all, I have lost touch with many of my writing friends.  Every time they planned something, I couldn't make it.  I was too busy or it seemed too far away.  Then, one of the most important people I associated with the Writing Project passed away.  He was always planning ways to keep us together as a group.  I felt horrible I hadn't been to any gatherings.  However, at the busiest time of the year, I found a way ...