:)

do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary.  what we need is to love without getting tired.  love should be the simplest of gifts. It is the most powerful.  do not wait for "extraordinary" or "verbose" to love.  love, love, love.

to my mother.

mom,

what can i possibly say to the woman who gave me life, nurtured me and loved me, raised me to be the best i can be, and corrected all my mistakes?  i have been so incredibly blessed to have been provided the privilege by God to be your child.  your warmth, love and nurturing are the best medicine for tough times.  your sense of humor and contagious laugh are the brightest sunshine to my day.  and the times you yell at me?  i know it is out of love.

i hope today is the best it can possibly be.  i hope you feel surrounded by the love, laughs, and support of your family and friends.  i wish i was there to spend the day with you but i can't wait to be home for good soon!

live well, laugh often, love much.

what teachers make.

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and a*s-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a g*dd*mn difference! What about you?

 --Taylor Mali

faith.

i was in the car for six hours today.  i listened to Jesus music the entire time.  okay, not the entire time.  is it a sin to listen to a little Gaga?  the beat is so... contagious.  but for the first five and a half hours, i listened to Jesus music.  this Jesus music fest led to a lot of thinking and great conversation with my roommate.

i go to a Christian college.  i have endless opportunities to participate in church services, Bible studies, and mission work.  and, being completely honest, i haven't taken advantage of all that is offered to me.  i protested God this year.  i didn't go to church, rarely read my Bible, avoided the chaplains like the plague, and didn't  listen to any Jesus music.   why?  there are a lot of reasons.  any of them incredibly reasonable?  probably not.  there has been sense of emptiness this year, a feeling of longing for something.

when i was looking for a college to attend, i knew i wanted a Christian college.  i had this idea in my head that i would get here and everyone would be Christians, and not just Christians, but have deeply rooted relationships with Christ.  i would learn so much to strengthen my relationship with Christ by being surrounded by all of these perfect Christians.

--back to reality--

there is no such thing as a perfect Christian.  my peers are a) not all Christians and b) do not all have strong personal relationships with Christ.  i put unrealistic expectations in my head and unreasonable standards for everyone i would meet here.  these students are humans: they make mistakes and they give into the temptations of worldly things.  many students here are in the same boat i am in.

my belief in Christ, while it is a part of religion, it is faith.  i believe there is a very big difference between religion and faith.  Christianity isn't just a religion.  it should be a way of life.  it isn't a pretty little package to be opened every Sunday, but the wind in my sails to make it through every day. 

something to think about.

no more books.

okay,  so i know i said yesterday that i was going to miss this library -- and i will... but right now, i am sick of it.  literally.  i can not stop sneezing.  the dust is ridiculous.  ka-chooooooooo.

this weekend has been spent cataloging books.  three of us have spent approximately ten hours on this project and we just finished our 1,000 book.  we aren't even a fifth of the way done.

i never want to read another title, author, and isbn or library of congress catalog card number ever again.  ever.  i've listened to so many spellings of bizarre last names that my brain is turning to mush.  someone says "a" and i have to think incredibly too long about where that letter is located on the keyboard.  did she just say "a"?

wooohooo.  only 4 or 5 more weekends of work and we can cross this project off the list.  now, finding the weekends and the people to help.  like i said, i'm going to miss this but right now, i can't get out of here fast enough.

no. more. books.

i'm gonna miss this!

out of the mouths of...

...college students.

"i don't need to look you up on facebook.  i just look you up on face!"

"i was just talking to the baby like five seconds ago!"

"i haven't frosted the pineapple yet!"

"was it supposed to rain tomorrow?"

"most of mozart's reflect the idea that he wrote. it can a strange place be. my love i dog."