And all of a sudden, it’s October!
Welcome readers, I hope you enjoy this issue. If I had to sum it up, I would say this issue is all about self awareness.
Oh, we have some really good Halloween stories, like Nancy Bryan’s “Hazard’s Corner,” and Doug Ensley’s “Out of Darkness,” but also some that touch on bullying, personal growth and the perception of ourselves that we present to others. In his story, “Silhouette of Time,” Stan Washington reflects on the union of marriage over time. He wonders, is this it? “The sameness of life keeping us going until it doesn’t.” We find Lisa Mote, “Embracing My Oddities,” as she examines her extended family and things she shares in common. At the same time, Janet Stiegler, shows us how two people explore each other’s viewpoints in “Two and Two Make Five.”
Dan Neizmik alerts us that October is National Bullying Awareness Month. He explains, “About 20% (Nearly 6 million) American students aged 12 to 18 nationwide report being bullied at school. About 16% of students ages 12 to 18 were cyberbullied. Help can be found at stopbullying.gov or (call or text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.)” His story, “The Hole,” illustrates that we shouldn’t wait to say I’m sorry, if we have bullied others and now realize the pain we have inflicted on them.
On the Teen Scene side, we have two teens who went outside of their school experiences to tell us about three very important organizations. Makalya P. explains, “What is Rotary Club,” and explains, “My Toastmasters Experience,” while Kaleigh A. went to the Gio Fund to find out about this animal focused non-profit organization. And, students who are graduating from William Clarke College share their experiences with those who are taking over writing for their newspaper. They are sad stories of leaving wonderful experiences behind, but they are also stories of hope for the future.
Make sure you read about the Veterans Creative Arts Program, a very important story about assisting our active military personnel, veterans and first responders. The story, “In the Presence of Almighty God…” details the success of the VCAP program initial fundraising initiative.
As always, I thank our contributing writers for making this a terrific issue. Happy Halloween!
Jan Morgan-Swegle
