My First Blog Post!

Well I have actually thought about this for awhile.  What do I want to say for my first blog post?  I narrowed it down to three things:
1. The Purpose of this Blog
2. Books
3. My Dad

1. I wanted to get a blog to share my thoughts, I guess.  I am what you call an out-loud processor, so that means that I have to talk with others before I can make decisions or fully understand something.  This can be a good and a bad thing.  I guess a blog would be a good way to process through some things I encounter on this "journey"- life.  I have more recently learned about the importance of doing life with others, a community!  I hope to include others in my thoughts and experiences, and join with others in their lives as well!

2. I just finished The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  It was an excellent book!  I read in a magazine that it took her 60-some times to get her book published!  I really can't believe that a bestseller in the United States got rejected that many times.  The book was a real, raw account of Southern housekeepers working for white women.  I would highly recommend the book, although I would have liked more of a resolution!  But maybe a sequel is in the works, I would like to think so.  I think the biggest take-away I had from the book would be that women are women, no matter what they look like, and humans are humans, no matter what they look like.  In the book, one housekeeper mentioned invisible lines that are put up in society.  Part of the beauty of life is learning how to disregard these lines and accept the beauty of the human race everywhere!

Which brings me to my next book, Enrique's Journey, by Sonia Nazario.  It is about a boy who travels across Latin America and Mexico to find his mother in the United States.  Something I am really passionate about, that I am sure you will hear more about on this blog is immigration.  I am really trying to determine my feelings about it all, since I do believe that people are people everywhere.  I have been blessed with a real heart for the Mexican people, and I want to work with them in some capacity in my life.  So I am looking forward to reading this book!

3. Happy Father's Day Dad!  My Dad has taught me many valuable lessons in my life.  I will share two things about my dad:
* I have always admired my Dad's personality- his gentle spirit, wise words, loving heart, funny personality (he certainly doesn't take life TOO seriously), his work ethic, ambition and drive.  My Dad has always provided a sturdy role model figure in my life.
* My Dad taught me honesty and trust. Two very important things.  I love him so much and am thankful for one day to celebrate him!