un-equal opportunity

I've spent a lot of time over the years thinking about the fact that where one is born can dictate so much of their future. Had I been a female born in many other parts of the world my opportunities in education, travel, mobility (such as driving or even leaving the family home), a career, and so much more, would have been severely limited...if not completely unavailable. I didn't choose where I was born, but that simple fact made all the difference.

Here's the thing...American's find that easy to swallow when the problem is "over there." Not on our soil. Not in this county. No. We are the land of opportunity. If you happened to be born in to poverty, in America you don't have to stay there - unless you are too lazy to work your way to a better circumstance.

Since returning to the USA, I have been asking myself - is that realistic? I am not sure it is.

Does America offer expanded opportunity? Certainly. Can one work from poverty to wealth in one generation? Rarely, but it does happen. Given the reality of some people's lives, I don't believe it is a realistic general expectation.

I volunteer teaching writing to young women who want to go to college. They pursued the community college route within 1-5 years of graduation from high school. They cannot put together a basic sentence and paragraph to make up a cohesive essay. They were born and raised in this country and attended US public education institutions growing-up. They graduated with a diploma from such institutions. Are they prepared to be successful in their career and academic ambitions? Not even close. Why? Because their families didn't have the money to move to a better neighborhood, or send them to private school, or stop working and educate them at home. No, their life circumstances didn't afford them these opportunities...and unfortunately it limits future opportunities as well.

Yes, even in "the land of opportunity" the place you are born can dictate so much about your future...not just in education, but travel (due to limited funds and a lack of role models), mobility (due to unsafe neighborhoods), career, and so much more.

just Sheri, disappointed in the state of our education system

Things that make me go "hmmm"...

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I feel like the woman that time forgot. Perhaps it is just a sign of aging, but there are things in this life that cause me to shake my head in wonderment.

I don't have television, so my exposure to commercials is limited. The times when I see commercials, I often shake my head in wonderment.

I don't have children, so there are times when I am with my friends' kids (mostly teenagers) and am amazed at all they are exposed to at such young ages. Kids loose innocence so much younger these days and it causes me to shake my head in wonderment.

I admit, there is a craze that has been around for years, but I have missed out on it since I spent much of recent years overseas. What is that craze? Cupcakes. I liken cupcakes to a treat brought to school on birthdays. It is special and tasty. What I don't understand is all of the shops dedicated to cupcakes. Then I am completely lost when I look at the price tag. Why is such a simple thing so expensive? I don't get it. I simply don't get it. What am I missing? Please tell me.

just Sheri, totally out of sync with pop culture

2012 Theme: Perfect Peace

As faithful readers may remember, I don't do New Year's Resolutions; instead, I choose a theme for each year.  The theme for this year was selected some time around Thanksgiving 2011. I knew that in 2012 I would be focusing on Peace. I couldn't have predicted the storms that would come.

I don't mean this kind of peace.

To me, this symbol of peace often represents the intent or desire to have an absence of trouble or conflict. In my mind it is coupled with the saying, "can't we all just get along."

Since that does not seem to be my reality I am looking for a different kind of peace - a greater peace. Peace that is found not the absence of trouble or conflict - but in the midst of such things. This kind of peace is WAY beyond myself, it is the kind of peace I believe only comes from God.

My guiding scripture is Isaiah 26:3,4:


You [God] keep him [or her] in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. 
Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.


I don't know if I will achieve perfect peace by year's end, but I am going to give it a go. The worst that can happen is I will be better off tomorrow than I am today. So, I will do my best to maintain focus and trust God - He is my firm foundation and solid rock in the midst of life's storms.


just Sheri, a peace-seeker

Quotable quotes: relativity

"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics"

~ Albert Einstein

Marital Communication 402: still traveling

The Hubs brought an interesting fact to my attention recently. I still travel quite a bit, more than the Average Jane for sure. I thought about it and realized I have taken some kind of trip every month since October.

For faithful readers, you know that I took a trip to China with my adopted dad to see one of my best friends in October. We toured Shanghai. I danced with the locals in a park. We ate from street vendors on "food street" and more.

Then I met up with my brother and his wife in South Carolina in November to spend time with our birth father. That same month I spent some time in the Chesapeake Bay with the William's family.

In December, I visited Austin, TX for work.

In January, I traveled to Colorado to participate in the memorial service for my birth father.

February brought a flight to Houston, some precious time with the Wonderful Whitlock family, and a cruise with family. In that trip we visited Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

In March, I plan to attend a work conference in Baltimore and have a tentative road trip planned to North Carolina.

This was graciously pointed out to me, because the day I returned from my cruise vacation I began planning my next international trip. If all goes as planned, I will be in India in the fall!

I think the conversation actually went more like this:

S: ...now that I am tied down.

K: Tied down? Hmph...you travel all the time!

Then I realized - he's right! Even being a mortgage-payer can't keep me in one place for long...our new "home" is now the launching pad to other destinations.

just Sheri, a nomad at heart