Ode to Cool

Water Night

Eric Whitacre

Water Night
Night with the eyes of a horse that trembles in the night,
Night with eyes of water in the field asleep
Is in your eyes, a horse that trembles is in
Your eyes of secret water.
Eyes of shadow-water,
Eyes of well-water,
Eyes of dream-water.
Silence and solitude,
Two little animals moon-led,

Drink in your eyes,
Drink in those waters.
If you open your eyes, night opens doors of musk,
The secret kingdom of the water opens
Flowing from the center of the night.
And if you close your eyes,
A river, a silent and beautiful current, fills you from within,
Flows forward, darkens you:
Night brings its wetness to beaches in your soul.

Inspiration

Caribbean Chicken Stew

While I did not pickup the fantastic cooking skills of my grandmother, who could pull together a Mexican feast with one hand tied behind her back at 2:00 a.m. for guests arriving in the morning, I have discovered the joy that comes from hearing the kids exclaim, "Wow, what smells so good?!!" Caribbean Chicken Stew

Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

AllRecipes.com

Food.com

Grief, Loss and Healing

After a loss, grief is the natural process of recovery.  From losing a job to death of a loved one, it is important to learn how to process feelings in a health way.  A panel of experts is joined by Terry Cogdon, a father whose daughter was tragically killed, as he offers insights into working through the emotions of grief (Second Opinion TV, Published October 25, 2012).

Resources

• Grief and Loss
• Grief (Second Opinion-TV)
• Grief: Coping with Reminders After Loss (Mayo Clinic)
• Helping Children Cope with Loss, Death and Grief
• Support
• The Center for Grieving Children
• Crisis Support and Suicide Prevention
• Disaster Distress Helpline - 1-800-985-5990
• Disaster Resources for Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting (PDF)
• National Crisis Line Locator
• United States: Crisis and Suicide Prevention 
• International

• The Dougy Center: National Center for Greiving Children and Families
• TLC Institute - Supporting professionals and communities with trauma-informed practices.
• TLC Recommended Book List for Parents dealing with trauma (PDF)

• Coping
• Applications
• Moniors
• Heart Rate
• PTSD Coach 
• Stop Panic and Anxiety
• Stress Check 
• Articles
• Coping with Violence and Traumatic Event 
• Community
• How communities cope with tragedy
• Children
• How to Help Your Child Deal with Tragedy (Better Parenting) 
• How to Talk to Children About School Shooting (WebMD)
• Helping Children Regain Their Emotional Safety After a Tragedy (KidPower)
• Restoring a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting: Tips for Parents and Professionals (Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress)
  
  Talking to Children about Disasters (Am. Psychiatric Association)

• General
• Help Parents, Children and Others Cope in Aftermath of School Shootings (HealthyChildren.org)
• Reacting to the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting (American Psychological Association)

• Parents
• Tips for Parents and Teachers (National Association of School Psychologists) 
• Teachers
• Coping with the Death of a Student or Staff Member (U.S. Dept. of Ed.) 
• There Is No Lesson Plan For Tragedy – Teachers YOU Know What To Do (Angela Maiers)

• Workers
• Restoring a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting: Tips for Parents and Professionals (Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress) 
• Working with Trauma Survivors: What Workers (rescue workers, health care workers, journalists, and volunteers) Need to Know

• Community and Faith
• BeliefNet.com
• How to Help Community of Newtown
• Meditation (MP3 Downloads, Amazon)
• Counseling
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
• American Psychological Association
• National Association of School Psychologists
• National Association of Social Workers
• KidsPeace.org - National Center for Kids Overcoming Crisis
• Memorial Ideas and Coping Tools
• Christian Memorials
• Getting it Sorted
• Memoralization and Commemoration
• My Forever Child
• Relaxation and Sleep (MP3 Downloads, Amazon)

• Safety
• The Department of Homeland Security offers funding, training, and resources to enhance school safety
• Gavin de Becker and Associates
• Gavin De Becker Answers Questions About Child Safety
• Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)

•  Support Groups
• National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children
• Rainbows.org

• Videos 
• Preparing Children for School after Tragedy   
• Websites (Other)
• Center for Loss and Life Transition 

 

Merry Christmas

Snuggle Time & Reading

"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall."

— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Resources

• Grimm's Fairy Tales (free for Kindle at Amazon.com)
• LibriVox: free audiobooks
• Reading Rockets
• Reading Today Shapes the Child's Tomorrow
• What's wrong with the American education system?
• Education Pays (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Does media help or harm a child’s ability to learn to read (Center on Media and Child Health)
• International Education Rankings Suggest Reform Can Lift U.S. (ED.gov Blog)