Sandwich Inventions (and more serious stuff)

I made an avocado, garlic stuffed olive, and sun-dried tomato sandwich today. Mmm mmm good.

On another more serious note, today I gave a speech in Toastmasters about the reasons I joined Teach for America in 2003 when I graduated from college.

Here are some things to chew on:

• 9-year olds in inner-city schools are already three grade levels behind their peers in high-income schools
• Half of these children will not graduate from high school.
• Those who do graduate will read and do math on the level of eighth graders in high-income communities
• 1 out of 10 will graduate from college
• California builds jail cells based on how many 4th graders cannot read.
  

Educational inequality affects all of us.

Farewell Dear Family

Sarah left yesterday. When David left last weekend, Sarah insisted on keeping his paper coffee cup out, my stereo speaker its pedestal.

I considered leaving the coffee cup out with one of Sarah's socks draped over it after she left in a silent monument to their visit.

But of course my neat freak side won out over my sentimentality and I threw the cup away yesterday in a cleaning frenzy.

We had a wonderful time laughing, cooking, watching movies, baking, walking, going to church, visiting my herbalist, meeting my friends.

Today I woke up and automatically turned to the couch, expecting her to be sleeping there but she was not. It was a sad moment, but I am just happy that she visited me.

And there are more good things to look forward to such as my interview for Data Manager with KIPP schools this Thursday. I am not sure that is what God wants for me right now, but I would be very happy if it is!

I also am looking forward to my upcoming trip to Chiapas and my trip to Tulsa in August to see my family and my dear friends Amelia and Javier get married.

Sigh. Life continues. I am alone again but in other ways so comforted and never further away from loneliness.