Chances are so hard to come by and the second one is impossible to find.

The lesson of the day for today is: It is better to regret something you have done than regret something you haven't.

Think about it! If you have done something and regret it then there is nothing you can do now... nothing to change the way things played out, no way to change the outcome. HOWEVER, if you did NOT do something you are ALWAYS wondering, "What if?" In my opinion that is the worst thing you can think about. All the different scenarios running through your head, all the possible outcomes. It can drive a person mad.

Why, you ask, am I thinking about this? Well I had an interview today at an AMAZING place. All I had to do was do a 5 minute presentation on recruiting for the college and it had to be creative! Well I did a power point on lots of information about the college but it had no pizazz! Nothing I had stood out. I had 2 days to work on it and I stayed up late working on it and got up early to work on it but it lacked the main component they were looking for.... CREATIVENESS. I didn't want to embarrass myself and was worried about wasting their time. So, I did not go. As soon as I hung up the phone from cancelling the interview I felt relieved but filled with regret too. :-(

I started thinking several questions:
What if I was being too critical of my own work? Usually we are our own worst critics? Aren't we?
What if I went to the interview and they liked my stuff? What if I got the job?
What if I burned a bridge God was laying out for me?

I walked around the rest of the day feeling horrible. As most of you know, regret is not a good feeling. I realized there is nothing more I can do with this situation.... I should not dwell on it anymore than I already have. I decided that I learned an important lesson thorough this debacle so I should move on.

But what if.....??

Our greatest strength as a human race is our ability to acknowledge our differences, our greatest weakness is our failure to embrace them.

Quote from Judith Henderson.
I just finished reading "Sing You Home" by Jodi Picoult and I have to say that it was pretty much an amazing book. All of her books are controversial but this one hit on so many topics. All of them evoked feelings in me. The book touched on IVF, divorce, religion, and same-sex marriage.

Let's start with divorce... I grew up in a home with a single mother and I carried the role of mother, father, sister, baby sitter for several years. (Though I get NO credit for that now!) That divorce caused me a lot of pain. When my parents were married things were great (for me) I was daddy's little girl, etc. However, when my dad divorced my mom, he divorced me as well, coming in and out of my life for several years. I would go 6 months without talking to him at times. It really messed me up. I even blacked out about a year of my life. My mom tells me I saw a child psychologist- I remember nothing of this. I had to grow up faster than my peers to help take care of my sister (no regrets) but I didn't really have a childhood. This all brings me to the decision that I do not want to get divorced. I know ALL couples get married with the intentions of staying married forever but luckily I have married someone who agrees with me on this point. We will do any and everything to keep the marriage together, especially if we have children. We are starting early by reading books and doing communication activities to help us understand each other. (Sounds dumb but preventative measure, I guess.)

Next, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a new idea I just learned about. I feel like this is a good thing for people who want to have children but do not have the means (their bodies) to do so. I am scared that one day this may be me and pray to God that I do not have to go through some of the stuff I have read in this book or have heard several of my friends go through just to get pregnant. I pray it is a smooth process when we are really ready but somehow I do not think it will be that easy for me. This is a controversial subject for religious folks but I say more power to the people who want children and can use IVF. Their choice.... America is a FREE country.

Religion... the book touched on this a lot! I found SEVERAL things Picoult pointed out in her book that I agree with. For example, the character Angela pointed out all the things in the Bible that wouldn't make any sense to do now. This includes stoning a woman who marries but is not a virgin AND when a woman becomes a widow she marries his brother. These are all things I have questions about plus sooooo many more. Why do some religious people go against homosexuals?

After all, aren't they people just like you and I? Who are they to JUDGE anyone? I thought the Bible says to love everyone and that God was ONLY person to judge us. That being said why can't some people at least tolerate gay people without all the criticism and stares and protests. They are people just like you and I. I know several gay couples who have been together for 15 plus years. I admire relationships like theirs because they seem to last longer than some heterosexual couples. I say we just let people love who they love.

Mark 12:31- Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

All in all... I feel like NO ONE should judge ANYONE. No one person is better than any other person. Love everyone no matter what color, size, shape, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Love each other for your differences. After teaching my ESL students this year, I find that the differences are the BEST things to learn from and you meet some REALLY amazing people!