Picked up this rather interesting set of “word-for-word” translations going from Germany into English with both the literal as well as the actual meanings from one of the German facebook sites. Something to ponder, or even laugh about. Whatever type of humor you have. 😉 Enjoy! 😀
Before saying farewell to Easter, we have a genre piece that is worth a read and something to consider. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the booklet written by Alyce Bergey entitled The Beggar’s Greatest Wish. The book was written with one theme in mind: The greatest wish of one person.
Before going to the plot, ask yourselves this question:
If there was one wish that you had that you wanted badly, what would that be?
Everyone has one greatest wish, no matter the circumstances. Some who are crippled wish to walk again. Others suffering from poverty and other forms of adversity want to be rich. Those who fail constantly want to succeed just one. Yet most of us want peace after suffering from years of conflict, both home and away.
For the main character, Barthimaeus, an old man living in a one-room hut outside Jericho, he wanted to see, for he was blind and was a beggar wanting to find a place in the world, but was rejected by many. Day in and day out, he begged on the street and got next to nothing from the public. Every day he was ignored, spat upon, degraded and taken pity. Yet later in the story, his luck started to change beginning with him receiving a single coin and then culminating to his encounter with Jesus Christ, as He and his followers were walking down the streets of Jericho. He found the beggar and after learning what his wish was, his life changed for the very best.
Based on the story of Luke 18:37-45, the theme of the story was believing in miracles and how they can come true through faith and fate. Faith has to do in the belief that if one works hard and prays for the most important thing in life, it will come true. Fate has to do with encountering the unknown and having that wish granted. It can be through the encounter with the Lord or another person. It also has to do with certain events that puts the events in order of sequence that eventually culminates into one’s wish being granted. Expected or unexpected, each of us have a special wish based on our trials and tribulations which eventually come true through our own actions and belief. If we didn’t have them, we would allow our world to unfold in front of our eyes that would not be to our best advantage.
When Jesus died for our sins, He left us the belief that miracles can happen if we have the faith and courage to make it happen- if we pray and also do our service. It goes beyond the fishermen story when Jesus came from Heaven to give them fish to feed themselves and their families. It goes beyond Job’s struggles when he lost everything to famine and drought and he got that back. It even goes beyond our own personal wishes in real life- mine has to do with putting an end to global warming and polluting the oceans. While this book was written for children but has an explanation for parents, the theme is the same. It’s more of a question of what we have for our wish and what we can do to make it come true.
To close off this genre special, here are a pair of videos that was based on this story. I hope you enjoy and have a chance to read the story to your children:
Taken last year, one will see many of these in German communities- the Osterbrunnen (Easter Fountain). More on its history can be found here.
Happy Easter! ❤ 🙂
What is a great teacher? What makes a teacher great? What is typical of a great teacher? If there was a secret ingredient to being great, it would be great to know about it. Yet if we knew, and we would try and follow it like textbooks, life would be boring, both in the classroom as well as on the street. Perfectionism would bring out the worst from those who strive for it and those who rebel against it. Life as a teacher would be portrayed as inflexible, intolerant and inhumane.
What is a great teacher? Can we follow the footsteps of those who had once ruled the hallways and classrooms of our school? Or read about their lives as we stumble across them on the sidewalks through monuments and Stolpersteine? Or reminisce about the teachers of our time growing up, over a beer or wine at a class reunion? Some say that our teachers set great examples and play a role in our development, but only a few remain close friends for life.
What makes a teacher great? It’s about what you learned from the teachers you had in school; from those who were close and helped you succeed. It’s about learning from your own personal experiences, remembering the stories told to you while growing up, embracing in your own faith, and developing your passion for the job. Molding it together and being prepared to share them with others.
What is typical of a great teacher? It can be best described as follows:
A great teacher enters the classroom like it’s a concert at Carnegie Hall……
……..and comes away with a standing ovation at the end of class.
A great teacher shows competence in his subject and confidence in his class….
…..and never falters to those who think they are better than he.
A great teacher is communicative, humorous and open-minded….
…..and the same goes to the students if it applied correctly in class.
A great teacher always listens to the needs of others……
…..and finds ways to cater to them.
A great teacher devotes his time and effort in his subject with a passion…..
…..so that the students can do the same when learning it.
A great teacher teaches the students what is good and what is bad in life…..
……and follows these examples, both on and off campus.
A great teacher is a great storyteller……
…..and uses it to teach the students the morals in life.
A great teacher always embraces in new things for the classroom……..
……and is never afraid to part ways with the old.
A great teacher is flexible and spontaneous……..
……and never follows the rules like a textbook.
A great teacher never holds back on his opinions and truths…..
……and is not afraid of the opinions and truths from his students.
A great teacher is always creative and tries new experiement….
…..as long as he and his students profit from them.
A great teacher always makes mistakes in class……
…..and should not be afraid to admit being human.
A great teacher is also a great mentor….
….being the guiding light for those who need it.
A great teacher is always there if the student needs help……
…..whether it’s big or small, in school or outside,
….a great teacher will always be your friend for life.
And when you have a chance to meet your great teacher- your mentor, friend and all- many years down the road, always remember what he taught you and why he got you to where you are today. After all, what he passed down to you, it’s your job to pass it down to your children of the next generation.
That is what defines a teacher a great teacher. 🙂
Author’s note: I had some great teachers growing up in Minnesota, but this one goes out to one who was an elementary school teacher and close friend of the family. I had her for the last two years before entering middle school and we became great friends afterwards. Many people knew her for the characteristics that I’ve pointed out here and it was through these key points where people like me took them and made use of them, both as teachers as well as parents and beyond. In her memory, this one’s for you with many thousands of thanks! 🙂 ❤
Guest blog in a form of poetry.
I wrote “Prayer for Inclusion” on U.S. Inauguration Day,
January 20, 2009, and was deeply heartened when
it won the title, “Inaugural Poem We Should Have Had,”
in a (small) competition at Australian-based absolutewrite.com.
Unity consciousness begins with each of us.
Today and every day, be whole now.
Prayer for Inclusion
Include me.
Invite me into the circle and guide me to the spot that bears my name
Escort me with a steadying touch, loose your hold and bear me aloft
Include my joy and ebullience, my hope and promise
The tracks of endless tears and the wounds of struggle and pain
that have marked the past
Include me raw and refined, defiant, quiescent
Include me enriched and diminished, broken and healed
Embrace me as the one anointed and demeaned
Privileged and impoverished by stature, circumstance
or the trajectory of an inconstant moon
Include my willingness.
Reap the fruits of…
View original post 138 more words
As a tribute to the cathedral, which I visited as a college student in 1999, there is a poem that was written about Notre Dame by Irish poet Kerrie O’brien in 2016. Part of the poem series released as a book that year, this poem looks at the church as a symbol of light, love and unity, the three elements that were inseparable as the person paid homage to this historic icon and a visit to God at its alter. You can find more poetry on Ms. O’brien by clicking here. For now, here’s to Notre Dame- you were a beauty before, you will be again…… ❤
Certain mornings
I would be the only one
To see the first streams of it –
Light
Tumbling through stained glass
Smattering everything
Red gold rose blue.
The beauty almost frightening.
Yves Klein would daub his women
Blue
And hurl them at the canvas.
Living brushes
Haphazard and outrageous –
Same effect.
Different every day
This glittering cave
Big beautiful lit up thing.
It knew and knew
Why I had come.
Blue gold rose red
Falling like water
My river walk,
My morning prayer.
I would step into it slow
Circling the altar
Gold cross flickering
In the centre
Anchored, rooted, still.
As above, so below
Eyes closed
Filling my heart
With the warmth of it
Until my body was
Sunlight and roses
And the fear
Fell away in petals
Would you believe it
If I told you
Nothing felt separate.
I Am Not Old
I am not old…she said
I am rare.
I am the standing ovation
At the end of the play.
I am the retrospective
Of my life as art
I am the hours
Connected like dots
Into good sense
I am the fullness
Of existing.
You think I am waiting to die…
But I am waiting to be found
I am a treasure.
I am a map.
And these wrinkles are
Imprints of my journey
Ask me anything.
The Adventures Of a Thirty-Something Life
This blog is the result of an idea that's in my head for already quite a time. I love languages, cultures, travel and lifestyle topics and would like to write articles about interesting topics related to these topics. This blog is more a project that I start for myself. Of course, I will be happy if my content is also a valuable source for others, so that we can share our ideas and experiences.
Everyone has a story if you give them a voice.
Politics, Policy, and Social Media
thoughts from an american expat living in hessen
advice, tips and resources for your language learning
German-Scottish Baking Adventures
tips , tricks , reviews , advice's
Absurd.
Travel diaries providing inspiration for planning the perfect trip
The Misadventures of an American Expat and His Wife in Germany
Bringing language research into the classroom
Your guide to the Rhine in English
