Time Off Work

Authored by Rickey Combs

I almost have the entire week off next week! I can’t wait, I haven’t had a vacation in six months. I really just don’t know what I am going to do with myself. I think that I will spend the first half of the week taking care of things around the house that I have been putting off. We have wanted to re-stain our deck for a long time, especially with the winter approaching fast. I also am going to make sure that we get everything decorated for the fall. I have some great Halloween decorations that need to be put out. I will also make sure that I get a pumpkins for my husband and I to decorate! I got a great idea for a pumpkin on pintrest.com. It is a cream colored painted pumpkin that has a bedazzled spider web. I will only have to go into work for about an hour to call Reliant Texas Electricity Provider and pay our monthly bill. I absolutely love vacation weeks!

Gospel Singing

Guest post by Esteban Vinson

I was watching DirectTV on Sunday and saw something on Sixty Minutes that really sparked my interest. It highlighted a program started by a gospel singer in the Bronx. She recruits children who are interested in gospel music and gives them voice lessons. The teenagers train afterschool and eventually participate and compete in gospel competitions all over the US. They story was actually very inspiring. The program not only gave children more confidence but helped them build bigger, healthy social networks. Many of the children participating were being raised by their grandparents and knew little about their own parents. Some of the children reported having higher grades, higher motivation in school, and goals of furthering their education that they had not had before they started the program. All of the children were talented and just needed someone to foster their abilities. I hold the highest admiration for those who help our children. Sometimes something as small as gaining a little bit of confidence and having good social support can change your whole life for the better.