shejack's journel

Soon and Very soon was awarded the 2008 Best Book Award from EDC Creations.

I have proclaimed 2009 as Destination Destiny. The last two years of marketing my first book, Soon and Very Soon was just a pre-cursor of things to come. Despite a limited budget, God was limitless in his faithfulness to this project. I e-mailed friends, joined social networking sites, snail-mailed bookstores, joined more social networking sites, did interviews and book signings and courted bookclubs, all with rich returns. My purpose was clear-share my honest commentary on a life with Christ through fictional characters and storylines. It had been a dream ten years in the making since I first penned the story. I feel in love with the tale of two pastors who decide to marry and combine their churches. Once again I’ve been prompted to put pen to paper and bring to life more stories of passion, pain and prayer. This year I will be ramping up to the release of my second novel, The Manual, in bookstores everywhere October 2009, as well as, completing manuscripts for Soon After, the sequel to Soon and Very Soon (September 2010) and another story released the following year. Join me on this thrill ride and I’ll promise you that you’ll be entertained and inspired.

I spent my birthday securing my place in the workforce. I returned from Disney with a message about available English teaching positions in Charles County School System. I interviewed with two seperate principlas: a seemingly cool dreaded brother that looked a little like a younger Al Green and a overly enthusiatic white woman with a hispanic name that had recently been to a beach or tanning bed. I am amazed at my inability to take the road of least resistance. As sexist as it may sound many teachers have the theory that a male principal gives you less woes. I am coming off a nearly two year sabbatical. I don't need drama.

My sister reminded me that I prayed to be delivered from the classroom and that like in the book of Galations (5:1) it says to Stand therefore in my liberty..and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. She skeptical about my decision to return. The bill collectors are not. See, I understand what God has done for me granting me time off, but He also knows I have commited a number of sins daily to maintain my lifestyle. I've robbed modern-day Peter to pay modern-day Paul. I will also be guilty of slowly killing my husband. He's been working hard, ya'll. Overtime.

My husband warned me when I began looking to return to Education to save myself some stress and just, "go in there and do what's required and no more." We call that the Walking Retired. Some do it, but that's no way to teach.Needless to say I had another dilema on my hands. I try to ignore it but I have a tugging toward the 6 grade Enrichment Reading position with Ms. DeLaCruz at the healm. It was something about her belief that all her students could score proficient and above on state testing. It was also the way she gave me permisson to wipe their ( above average kids I'll be teaching) butts. She had a piercing stare and she wanted to know if I was up for a challenge. As God would have it cool black brother with dreads was dragging his heels about making me an offer, but Ms. Perky had already put in her bid when I returned to Personel. He missed out.

Now I was like the Yolanda Adams tune, What about the Children? In this case, my own- Nylah and AJ. Nylah is one thing, seek out the best before and aftercare program, but Aj is not a kid you just drop off at a daycare center. While the prospect of a steady salary and health benefits has me breathing easier all of a sudden I am hyperventilating. An overreaction, really, cause I realize all that I was able to do for him in the 22 months I was off. I call one of his many clinical care coordinators and within twenty minutes I've got an appointment with a company that provides nursing care while I work. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been off all that time to assemble resources for his disability. And, it certainely wouldn't have happened had I killed over on the floor with a brown paper bag pressed to my nose and mouth.

I am going back to work to continue to be a resource to my family and I am content with this decison.

This is my first post. I read my cousin's journal and wanted to start my own. Record my thoughts, especially at works so I don't go off and hurt someone's child. I hate my job. I teach 3 ninety minut classes each day to a bunch of children who could care less about words and poetry and correct speech for that matter. Oh yeah they know some words: curse words and slang. The cursing is so bad that you cannot possibley catch everyone who is cursing and write them up or suspend them, then the whole school would be suspended. I hate this school cause I see the worst of black people in them. It brings me down. I just completed a lseeon on grammar with my first class that I know will be pregressively harder to teach as the day goes on. Then my last class FORGET IT! They just want to jone or talk about one another. They gget on my nervers. I thought I had good discipline until I came to this school. These fools have no fear. There has been a many time that I just sat dowwn cause no one was listening to me especially my last class. My desk is overrun with papers to grade. I knw half of it is crapI need TLC's clean sweep or trading apces to organize my teaching area. But I have ten more day with these student. I can't wait!