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November 2010 Blog Posts (20)

What kind of black belt will I be?

As a black belt, I will do my best always to...

be a good parent, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, worker, community member;

be thankful for all that I have and the wonderful people in my life;

lend a helping hand;

be kind to the earth;

embrace new challenges;

live life intentionally without regret;

keep an open mind and open heart;

see the miracle in…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 26, 2010 at 1:02pm — 1 Comment

Goals for future training and learning

"What are my goals upon having reached black belt for my future training and learning?"

Going forward, I'd like to integrate yoga classes with the martial arts classes to help increase balance, core strength, and flexibility. I'd like to continue refining the forms and techniques I have already learned and continue to work on building stamina.

Added by Jan Eveleth on November 26, 2010 at 12:18pm — No Comments

Living Hero: Gail Cribbs

Two years ago during a time of huge emotional challenges for me, Gail was a stalwart and patient friend. She was a shoulder to lean on, an ear to hear, a voice kindly directing. She offered no value judgments on the feelings I encountered and shared on any given day during this tumultuous time--just the acceptance that they were what they were. Even today, some two years later, when those intense emotions resurface, she knows exactly what they are, and she usually can divine the reason for… Continue

Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 9:40pm — No Comments

Living Heroes: Writers, reporters, producers of "This American Life" 2 part series on health care

In October 2009, the NPR program "This American Life" hosted by Ira Glass ran a two part series on the complexities, absurdities, and intricacies of our health care system. A truly remarkable eye-opening journalistic piece. The reporters, writers, and producers of this show are heroes in my book for having tackled such a huge topic with finesse and thoroughness and communicated it in an engaging and understandable way.

If you care about health care, check it…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 9:27pm — No Comments

Living Heros: Mercer Island Community Members

This category includes many people & groups. It is my way of expressing gratitude, admiration, and thanks to those who regularly provide services to the children and families of our community. A community of heros that enrich our lives and nurture our children with compassion & caring.

Mercer Island Youth and Family Services

Cindy Goodwin Exec. Dir.

Kathy Gildea, School Counselor

Betsy Zuber

Communities That…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 4:21pm — No Comments

Living Hero: George Demas

High school theater was a lesson in teamwork, dedication, focus, perseverance, and "practice makes perfect. George Demas was the extraordinary Mt. Desert Island high school theater director that changed the lives of a generation of teenagers. He cared about the kids, but never hesitated to push individuals to work way outside the boundaries they were comfortable with. He provided the chance for the teenagers to break out of their self-imposed, and group-established personas--to be something… Continue

Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 2:24pm — No Comments

Living Hero: Barbara Curtis Eveleth

This hero is very special to me--my mom.

My Mom taught me, by example, the most important rules of parenting: unconditional love; listen without judging; let your children be who they are, not who you expect or want them to be; let your children live life and learn their own lessons.

Beyond parenting, my Mom taught not to judge others by anything other than their character--not their skin, not their religion, not who they…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 12:50pm — No Comments

Living Hero: Bruce Pym

My jobs have always required that I be familiar with a broad range of topics ranging from technical infrastructure to business protocols and procedures. In the early 90s, the new challenge at hand was to decipher, write, and negotiate Internet services contracts. While not as difficult as insurance policies, they were dense and had their own quirky nuances especially since the Internet was at this time just starting to emerge beyond the science & research communities. It was during this… Continue

Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 11:46am — No Comments

Living Hero: Dr. C.K. Chai

I grew up in Bar Harbor, Maine. Bar Harbor is known mostly as a tourist destination, gateway to Acadia National Park. But it is also home to a world-renowned genetics research lab--The Jackson Lab. Our Bar Harbor neighbors, the Chai's, were here because Dr. Chai worked at the lab. Their daughter, Jean was and remains a best friend of mine. It is Dr. Chai that I am writing about today.

The details of his early life have always been obscure to me. I do know, he was born and…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 25, 2010 at 10:54am — No Comments

Living Hero: Father Randall Gardner

Randy Gardner, Episcopal priest and former Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church here on Mercer Island.

Randy was a gifted speaker. His sermons would speak to your intellect, your emotions, and your soul. They were invariably thought-provoking, insightful, often humorous and always refreshing. Church was a truly renewing experience when Randy spoke. He didn't shy away from hard subjects. He could take a stand without belittling anyone else's opinions. He had a unique way of…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 21, 2010 at 8:33pm — No Comments

Here come the heros!

Disciplined physical work: control of your body (strength & flexibility)

Disciplined mental work: control of your mind (focus)

Disciplined community work: act responsibly and rightly (compassion, kindness & leadership)

Disciplined self-awareness: know and nurture yourself (balance and mindfulness)

And breathe. Don't forget to breathe.

Working towards black belt has been enlightening,…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 21, 2010 at 8:09pm — 1 Comment

Weekly blog about my push for 2nd dan.

Hello, I went to class last night and got to spend a good amount of time with one of my favorite instructors. Thank you KSN.

I am starting to see just how far I have to go to truly be ready for my test. There are times that I feel like a white belt. Trying to wrap my head around what I need to make my body do. Much work to do, much work.

I am a little sore, my right glute and my neck are sore. I think I strained it when we did the frog hops. I like them but I may have tried a little… Continue

Added by eric sams on November 17, 2010 at 11:26am — 3 Comments

Living Hero's

It is my honor to talk about another living hero. She is part of the reason I am here today. My Godmother(Ninang), Friend and Auntie - Rosa Foster.

She was the first on my Filipino side of the family to come to America. A 21 day journey by boat. She dreamed that American dream and then made it happen.

She tells me stories of war time. How she was seperated from her mother, sister…

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Added by Tina Jackson on November 17, 2010 at 11:24am — 2 Comments

Weekly blog about my push for 2nd dan.

Hi, my name is Eric Sams, I am a 1st degree black belt at Mercer Island Martial Arts. I am writing a blog once a week for the next thirteen months until I test for my 2nd degree black belt. The reason behind me writing these blogs is to chronicle my journey to the next step in my training. I will post once a week at least. These will not be books, they may only be a few sentences or a few paragraphs, but they will be what I am going through that week.

I am a little sore from class last… Continue

Added by eric sams on November 11, 2010 at 2:03pm — 1 Comment

Thank you Josu Tina Jackson!

I am pleased to announce and celebrate today Josu Tina Jackson's first year working with us at Mercer Island Martial Arts. Not only has she approached her work here with love and dedication, she has also improved the quality of our service here at the dojang.

She is a friendly and welcoming person. So many have related to me that they always feel great about their interactions with her. Her positive attitude, and respect for everyone is a great representation of our school, and the… Continue

Added by MeLisa Turcott Strongheart on November 8, 2010 at 3:27pm — 2 Comments

More progress on community service!

Spoke this past week with another person at MI Youth and Family Services. At this point, they have my name on a 'to call' list if they have miscellaneous projects they need help with as well as the annual "Giving From the Heart" breakfast, which this year will be at 7am on Wednesday Feb. 9th. In addition, I am now waiting to hear from the exec director about possibly joining the advisory council.

Another idea percolating... need to do some checking to see if it's going to…

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Added by Jan Eveleth on November 7, 2010 at 10:59am — 2 Comments

Proud to share with you one of our community service projects

As some of you already know, we are teaching a great group of kids from the CHILD school. We do so at a significant discount so that they are able to give this training to their kids. We are proud to share with you that we have so far donated over two thousand dollars to the school.

Added by MeLisa Turcott Strongheart on November 4, 2010 at 8:31pm — 2 Comments

Great Report for Teachers Regarding Bullying from the APA

It is a great article, no reason for me to paraphrase it. Here is the pdf: APAbullyingModuleforTeachers.pdf

Added by MeLisa Turcott Strongheart on November 3, 2010 at 4:20pm — No Comments

Master Strongheart wins Photo Contest in Patch

Congratulations to Master Strongheart for winning the photo contest in the Patch Newsletter

Here's the link http://mercerisland.patch.com/articles/halloween-patch-pictures-from-you-and-prizes#photo-2762892

Also, we are still collecting donations for the food bank until Friday, November 5, 2010 if you are interested stop by. We are already have collected almost 500… Continue

Added by Krista Wells on November 1, 2010 at 7:23pm — 1 Comment