Thursday, December 22, 2016

2016 in Reflection... My Final Selfie of Madness



Scene: Inside my apartment as it is cold and snowy outside.  Temperature is 38 degrees and cloudy.  Dress style is casual but relaxed. 

Script:

Hello and welcome.  This is my final selfie for Digital Storytelling.  I know and understand we can sit and talk about how much we have learned and shared with the class, but we do that every day with our reviews and discussions.  Instead I would like to take a moment and look back on the year 2016 as we move forward into 2017.


This is NOT the @TIME 'Person of the Year' cover we want; it's the 'Person of the Year' cover we must acknowledge! #Death” (The-AnswerMan, Nov. 2016)
So many have declared that Time Magazine should and needs to name the Person of the Year for 2016 the Angel of Death, and as we look back one can understand why.   We did not simply loose celebrities this year; we lost people that helped influence how we grew up.  These were people that helped us and guided us into our future; people such as Florence Henderson and Alan Thicke, or the music of David Bowie and Prince. 
There are many whose childhood will forever be influenced by Willy Wonka and his infamous Gene Wilder, or Sir George Martin otherwise known as the “fifth” Beatle.  Many will recall Fidel Castro and the extreme changes he brought to Cuba as its Marxist Leader until 2008.  This and so many more have impacted our lives, on both a personal and grander scale.  The New Yorker posted a cartoon The New Yorker ran a cartoon showing an angel at heaven's gate telling death, "Maybe cool it on the beloved celebrities for a bit." (CNN.com, Nov. 2016)
                                                                
In other news here in the US, we had a huge upheaval as far as our election this year.  Though Hillary Clinton did not win the electoral votes, she did win the popular vote, making this the first time a woman has won.  What makes this outstanding and historical is this is now the second time in a presidential election that we have seen history was being made.  Yes, we have seen many upset and angry people over Trump’s election, but there has been something to give pause also.  And not just for women, but those who fight for equal rights need to look at how significant this election overall has been.  How close has a woman ever come before to becoming president of our great country? 

 As I sit here and reflect, I realize though this has not been the easiest of years for me on a personal level, it’s been a year of learning.  Now we have 2017 to look forward to.  Look into the future with hope, not sadness.  Step onto those cobblestones of time and remember life is fleeting.  Death is simply a part of life.  It will come.  It is unavoidable and yes it is sad, but it can be joyful also.  The people who passed away, who left us also gave us a future.  What that future is depends upon all of us.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Holidays.  It’s been a pleasure.



Thursday, December 15, 2016

Secret Santa for The Holidays By Rich and Shannon


Scene:

Holidays season.  Decorated inside with Christmas decorations.  Light Snow outside and cold.  Temperature 39 degrees and Cloudy.

Script:

Everyone has favorite memories of the Holiday Season.  Pause a moment and pull up yours.  Do you ever recall Secret Santa?  I am sure you do, but did you know that Secret Santa is programs for Foster Children sponsored by the Department of Social Services to help children in foster homes have a brighter Christmas?  No?  Most people don’t?”  NYS has 25,397 children in foster care on any given day. (Adopt para. 21).  That is of the 400,000 that nationally spread through the United States.  Image how many children go without the magic of Christmas?

When we think of Secret Santa, often we think of the participation at schools, businesses or other places where people work and play together within the community.  It is not very often we consider the children in the Foster Care system.  In truth, these children often get overlooked as better off seen and not heard.  Obviously, they are in the system for a reason, yes? (Give some reasons) Children in Foster Care not only have their own stories to tell, but need to know that people out there care enough that they exist and matter.  This will help guide children to make the right decisions in the future, for their future helps to create our future. 
You do not need to purchase expensive toys for these children.  Believe me, I know. I was once one of these children.  Let me tell you a story.  When I was only 8 years old living in Kingston, New York, our social worker came with a pile of Christmas presents.  My brothers and I had no idea where these presents came from, but it seemed magical to us.  It mattered not how much the cost of the Barbie I received was, or if the G.I Joes my brothers opened up were genuine G.I. Joes.  What counted in the end was being able to unwrap those gifts and the magic of feeling we had a Christmas to celebrate.  Another time when I was 14, a Secret Santa brought me a Unicorn.  This Unicorn traveled with me through various foster homes losing a leg, a wing, even a horn, but it never lost its magic.

You do not need to go very far to find out how to participate in such a program.  Simply call your local Department of Social Services and ask if they have a Secret Santa program for their Foster Children.  I never found out who our Santa was, but take the opportunity to bring the magic of Christmas to a child’s life and let them feel that someone, somewhere, cares.  House of Rep. Democrat and Congressman, Jim McDermontt says it best in this moving statement concerning the lost children of America “We are going to be able to take better care of America’s most vulnerable children because of the major reforms contained in this legislation, and we are clearly telling these children they are not alone in America and they can grow up in a loving, caring home with a chance at the American Dream.” (Voice 29)

So please help make a child smile this Christmas and have a happy, healthy Holiday filled with love and laughter.