Long Time No See

Yes,I know. I have been slacking on my blogging. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when my life gets kicked into overdrive and I barely have time to sleep let alone keep up with my blog. I've actually never really been any good at keeping a daily journal or log of events. For some reason I feel like there's too much pressure in trying to find the most important things to mention from the day.

Anyway, as usual, I digress from my point. I also haven't really been able to find any motivational readings or quotes since most of my time revolves around reading the required texts for school and such, but don't loose all hope just yet. In fact, just yesterday I borrowed a book from the school library entitled: Blood of Brothers (Life and War in Nicaragua) by Stephen Kinzer. As you already know (or at least I sincerely hope that you do) I have been accepted to go on an amazing service learning delegation to Nicaragua through Montclair State University and Witness For Peace. Part of the process of preparing for the visit is to not only raise the funds through community involvement, but to also become emotionally and mentally prepared. A past delegation member has highly recommended this book to all of us current members in an effort to help us understand what to expect and sort of a guide on how to approach this wonderful educational opportunity. I already know that this experience will profoundly change my life, but I'm not sure I fully realize to what extent and in what areas I will be effected.

I think this book will really open my eyes to a whole new realm of Nicaragua and America. On the back of the book there are the usual positive reviews from several media sources. The last one really caught my attention. It read, "Reads like a cloak-and-dagger thriller...A very timely warning of what can happen when America abuses its power" said by Jim Miller in Newsweek. That statement really intrigued me and made me start to wonder how often do we abuse the power that we have in our own lives? Power is a double edged sword. Although it can be used in positive ways, more often it is abused and used to somebody's advantage over somebody else. I think Abraham Lincoln sums it up the best, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." I hope you understand the message he's trying to convey here, because it's one of the most important ones to learn.