David Lee

I came upon this article today from a much more gifted writer that tells why she decided to give up FB…..

https://journal.thriveglobal.com/why-i-left-facebook-49c61342ec56#.jm9sfupec

Kristen v.H. Middleton

A good friend sent this quote to me this morning and I took its words to heart.  I do believe the Universe is always sending messages and it’s our job to be still long enough to hear and see what’s being said.

Today one of these messages sounded out loud and clear.  It involved communication with another person and the trust I placed in that person to follow through with her word.  My expectation was that the person was indeed going to follow through with the plan that she had suggested.  I assumed (and yes, I know the joke) that if something presented itself that would keep her from following through with our plan, she would let me know.

There were indeed some obstacles that were present, mostly that would have prevented me from following through with the plan.  But I made a decision that I could work through those obstacles.  And indeed, I was successful.

But it seems that the other person didn’t take the commitment as seriously and “forgot” about the plan that was in place.   So there were three hours in my life that I was on the road and without any follow through with the plan.

So indeed, the whole day of events was no coincidence.  I have no doubt that it turned out exactly as it was supposed to, even though it wasn’t what I had hoped.  And I’m OK with that.  Lesson learned as I told my friend who sent me this quote.

Who knows, perhaps I was being detoured around a meeting that would have results far from desirable…that’s not for me to say.

David Lee

Day One – 9:16 pm

I have decided to continue to post favorite music I’ve found that I think others might enjoy.  I have also noticed when I was on FB, these didn’t get as many “likes” and comments as they once did.  The good thing about the WordPress site is that you can tell how many people view each post.

So here we go with the first and the lyrics as well.

Nearly an hour into my hiatus from social media, in particular Facebook, and it’s almost as if I’ve been released from prison.  Not that I’ve ever been in prison, mind you, at least not as a prisoner.  But I feel as though I’m no longer obligated to post my usual two morning posts, nor any of my usual check-ins to show my comings and goings.  Of course, I realize that I was never actually obligated to do any of that, it’s actually something I enjoyed.

I posted fourteen hours before the beginning of Lent that I was indeed planning on staying off of Facebook for forty-six days.  I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people that either liked the status or actually left comments.  It was a boost for me in that I realized there were people that had been reading my content each day, even though some of them had left no evidence of their visit to my page.

One of the things that I’m hoping to do during this month and a half is to take the time to develop my writing by using this format.  I’m also going to continue with my photography and sharing those pictures here as well.  It could very well be the beginning of a whole other way to share my work with those I haven’t reached before.

Meanwhile, it’s probably a good idea to get some sleep….

Day One –  1:05 a.m.

As the time draws near for Lent to begin, I begin to consider what time away from social media will entail.  I’m going to leave a couple of links for those that read the devotionals I post each day.  I also plan on starting to write more and will be sharing those on this website.  The good part about blogging is that it allows sharing of both thoughts and pictures of what I encounter each day.

The first couple of months of this year have involved a lot of ups and downs.  It would seem that nothing is for certain from day to day and perhaps this time away will give me a better perspective on it all.  I know that focusing on one’s self may seem to be selfish to some, but I have found it’s ultimately necessary for me to be able to contribute to others in a meaningful way.

And God only knows (and I mean that literally) what might be waiting around the next corner of my life.  Quietening my mind by staying away from the daily happenings on social media, in particular FB, I think will help me stayed focused on what I need to be doing, with the people I need to be doing it with, at the time and place it’s to be done.

At least that’s my take on it all this day….

David Lee

I’ve made the not-so-difficult decision to stay away from Facebook for Lent this year.  So from March 1 until April 15, there will be no posting of daily readings or pictures I’ve taken. It will also be interesting to see how much extra time is freed up when I’m not constantly checking the news feed to see what everyone else is up to.

I’ve tried this a couple of times before, the latest being in 2010.  Best I can remember, the first week or so was the most difficult….getting out of the habit, especially with my phone.  But after a while, it didn’t seem to really make all that much difference.   I’m expecting this time to be much the same.

I’ll devote my extra time to doing some soul-searching, as well as reading and writing. I’ll still be taking pictures and will be sharing those when I return on Easter Sunday.  Perhaps I’ll even find some new interest that will more than adequately replace the time I spend on FB each day.

We’ll just have to see how it goes.

David Lee

Dave – It’s still a bit hard to believe you’re no longer with us.  The news was quite a shock to say the least.  I was really sorry I didn’t get to attend your memorial service,,,the last day of school is one you just can’t miss – I figured you would understand.

I decided this past Saturday to go visit your grave site to say my good-byes.  I knew it was in Oakwood Cemetery, but had a bit of a hard time finding it.  In my search I saw two birds perched atop a gravestone, so I figured it was a sign I’d eventually come upon it.  Luckily, the man that creates the stones appeared to place markers on other sites.  I told him what I was trying to find and although he had to think for a moment, he soon pointed out exactly where it was located.

And so I said my official good-byes, at least for now.  It’s a bit hard to know exactly what to say, but I spoke of our friendship and it was all from the heart.  I remember first getting to know you in high school and then college.  You always had something interesting to share, whether it was current events or stories of sports teams from long ago.  I recall the time when we both commuted to Lenoir-Rhyne and a snowstorm arrived during one of our classes.  I offered to give you a ride home, but you assured me your vehicle and you would be able to make it home safely, which you did.

I saw your father’s gravestone beside your plot and acknowledged that you were once again together with each other.  Since you were always one interested in things of a historical nature, I noticed that you had died exactly forty-four years and one day after he had passed. I would imagine he was one of the first to greet you when you arrived in your heavenly home.

You were always a person of great courage and I will always remember you as one that never gave up, despite all the obstacles you faced.  You taught me one of life’s most important lessons when it came how to relate to other people.  I began to see you not as a person with a handicap, but as a gifted individual with so many talents to offer the world.  And for that, I will forever be grateful.

Until we meet again my friend,

David 

It was exactly six years ago today that I taught my last classes as a middle school teacher in the public schools….or at least I thought.  Sure, I had some plans for retirement, but it would seem that the God of my understanding wasn’t so sure I was ready to pack it all in quite yet.  There would be several adventures awaiting that would take me back into the classrooms I loved.

After the six months of required time out of the school setting, I returned to substitute teaching on a day-to-day basis.  The jobs were usually simple and required a minimal amount of preparation.  I got to visit quite a few different schools and of course also subbed at the school I had retired from the year before.

Then came my first opportunity to teach for an extended period as an interim teacher for someone who was going to be out for maternity leave.  I had “just happened” to see the parent of a former student while at a cafe and she was  principal at an elementary school.   She inquired of my availability and after visiting the school, I decided to take that job for a six week period.  Teaching at an elementary school was quite a change from the middle school setting and that experience gave me a whole new respect for teachers of children that age.

There have been since that point in time five more maternity leaves I worked for teachers, all but one of which were in the elementary setting.  Each one presented its own special challenges and I don’t mind saying that when the six weeks was said and done, I was reading for a break.

There was also one situation in which a teacher was going to be out for the first eight weeks of school due to surgery.  I was asked if I would be interested in filling in for this slot until he was able to return.  That job was especially interesting since the students would not be meeting their actual teacher until after the first two months of the school year.  Things went really smoothly in this assignment despite the fact I was suffering from disc problems in my neck and was in almost constant pain.  I would have to admit when the teacher announced his return, it was a bit difficult to give up the class of students I’d gotten to know so well.  But such is the life of an interim teacher.

There have been two cases over the past couple of years in which I served in interim positions that have been what I could best term “beyond the call of duty.”  The first one was at the middle school I had retired from five years previous.  A teacher was retiring from teaching at the end of October and the principal needed someone to work for nine weeks until mid-year college graduation, when another teacher could and would be hired. Well that nine weeks came and went without a replacement being found, so I finished out the final eighteen weeks as well.

This past school year I once again served a maternity leave for the same teacher I had filled in for on my first.  It was the six week period right before Christmas  break and I figured the rest of the school year would be spent subbing a day here and there.  Turns out I was wrong.

I received a call from a middle school principal saying that he needed an eighth grade science and social studies teacher for the second half of the school year.  I had not previously worked at this school, so I had to think about it a while longer and then finally decided to take the job.  It was a position  filled with many challenges, but I persevered and just last week taught my second consecutive “last day of school.”  Once again it was time to retire.

If you would have told me six years ago at my retirement that I would be spending the better part of the past two years back in the classroom teaching full time, I would have questioned your sanity.  But that is exactly the way it has played out.  While my current plans are just to substitute from day-to-day for the upcoming school year, you never know quite what might be in the road ahead.

Just one of the things in my life that always seems to remain the same.

David Lee

I recently downloaded a Facebook app that allows you to see who has “unfriended” you and perhaps even blocked you in the process.  While some of them come as no big surprises, there have been several that come as a shock.  I understand that social media friendships are different from “real” friendships in many respects, but perhaps they do give some insight into real life.

The way my mind works is quite peculiar.  I have self-diagnosed myself with Attention Deficit Disorder and perhaps even that is just a cop-out for have a disorganized mind and cluttered life.  People that I once interacted with on a daily basis can and do fade into the background as time progresses.   People that I see in person can do much the same, but I’ve found it to be more unlikely.

So there they drop, one by one, with the notification from the app that I’ve been unfriended.  I’ll usually check back to see what messages we’ve shared, since most of them are not within traveling distance.  And in several of these instances, there have been messages they’ve sent that were not returned….sometimes two or three.  My cluttered mind perhaps saw the messages when they first appeared, but for some reason or another, I hadn’t responded.

Perhaps social media itself has become a bit too much. My claim to 3,541 “friends” is a gross exaggeration to how many people I really know.  I continue to post two messages each day to give experience, strength, and hope to others suffering through difficult times and as reminders of where I’ve been in life.  Perhaps I need to close it out after doing so and call it a day. Just maybe there are people in real life that I need to be connecting or reconnecting with…I just can’t be sure.

Being self-centered, I also realize that the “unfriending” may very well have nothing to do with me.  It could just be that they’re deleting friends that they no longer interact with and are trying to thin out their lists.  Perhaps it would do me some good to follow suit and do the same.

So to the friends that have unfriended me, I offer a humble apology and realizing you most likely will never see this post, wish you nothing but the best.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”