Level Up!!

                             Children Live What They Learn Who was your hero when you were a child? Every child needed someone to fight for them and to cheer them on. Heroes come in different forms but they all serve the same purpose; to protect the wounded, scared, vulnerable and those filled with hurt.  Many people today who are hurting were hurt by someone who was hurt by someone and it goes on and on. How do we stop the cycle of hurting others? What do you do when you cannot find a hero when you are hurting?  Looking into the eyes of children we can see so many things: innocence, forgiveness, love, happiness, creativity... On the other hand, some children have painful hearts so we see: hurt, disappointment, frustration, loneliness, confusion, and anger among others.  Whitney Houston sang a powerful song entitled 'The Greatest Love of All',  which speaks to loving children on every level. C...

  Overcoming Pain Alvin Day in his book entitled, ‘If caterpillars can fly – so can I’ mentioned that, “Pain and suffering will strike you at some point, and strike again. You are expected to cry a little. Do not hide from the tears, or you will be sowing the seed of future psychological problems. When the situation demands it, crying can be a cleansing and purging experience that helps alleviate and bring closure to the pain” (p. 85). Whatever the degree of pain from toothache, labour pain, death, headache or heartache, such pain will gradually fade away but your response to the memory will depend on your outlook on what or who triggered that pain. Remember when you felt like quitting a project, when you failed a test or job interview, when you didn’t have the funds to do something that mattered a lot to you? Now that you have passed that obstacle and you can smile back at the pain, you are able to say I did it!! 1 Corinthians 3: 6 [says] “I have planted, Apollos watered; but ...

  Embracing one’s Identity Who am I? This is a serious question many individuals ask themselves especially when they travel to other countries where their ethnic group is the least dominant there. Where are you from? This is a question many natives from different countries ask when they meet you? But really, who are you and what have you embraced as your identity? Growing up in rural Jamaica was quite an interesting and fulfilling experience. However, as children we were socialized to respect everyone but respect was interpreted from different angles. Based on observation, on the playground, children who were of a certain skin colour, with a certain hair texture and length were the first to be picked to play games among the other children who had a darker skin tone. Unfortunately, we also observed persons who had jobs working in the hotel industry given first preference over others for their selection of the best cut of meat at the butcher shop. Imagine that? Many of us might h...

  Tips to Improve Academic Writing at the Tertiary Level As a College Librarian for over three years, and having worked in a similar capacity at the high school level, I have observed the frustration displayed by many students when submitting assignments for final grading. Many of these students have the wrong perception of writing when they are instructed to utilize a specific writing style, for example: the American Psychological Association (APA) 7 th edition or the Modern Language Association (MLA). Some understand the concept of academic writing but they do not make the effort to be accurate since they will not be penalized. In fact, many students resist enrolling in courses such as Library Science and Information Literacy, because they do not see the value. How can Librarians assist students who are frustrated with Covid-19 related protocols and expectations given the privileges which are available on the Internet? Students, you first need to be aware that authenticity...

                           Loving Yourself Hello everyone! Why would someone want to conduct a research on how to love yourself? Well, this is exactly why I am making this post.   There are times in our lives when we think that because we are a certain age, with many life experiences, and having grown up in a stable family, this automatically means that we love ourselves. In fact, there are times when we are so busy helping others and being distracted with life's struggles that we fail to remember we need to love ourselves. However, in order for anyone to love someone else, you first have to love yourself. How do you begin to love yourself?   1. Once you were created this means you are loved by God. Therefore, your value should not rest on what others say about you or on the possessions you have but your self-worth must be dependent on the premise that God loves you.   2. To love yourself means that you...

Deuteronomy 31:6  "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”