Dear Ma

Dear Ma,

I'm writing to you on this fine Wednesday evening to make sure you're doin alright and also to tell you that I'm just fine myself. 

It's been a very long and cold nine months, but they're taking good care of us folks. Judgin' by what I've heard, the South seems to be at quite the disadvantage in almost every possible way. They don't have the economic power that we do, and certainly don't have the will power and drive that we do. I know you didn't want me to join this bloodbath, which I can assure you it is, but I always remember how much you told me about Grandma Penny's awful life that was lived out in the fields. Believe me Ma, she was not the only one experiencing that torture, and I'm not the only one out here willing to fight for ending it, I promise. The Union's got a lot of determined soldiers that are prepared to die for what they believe in, if that is there fate of course.

We shouldn't have to fight for abolishing such a terrible crime that man is committing, but unfortunately that's the situation many of us are in, so I'm going to go the extra mile and fight for it. After all, you took the extra step to become free, so I'm not gon' let you down now. The fact that the South thinks that what they are fighting for is right...no one over here in the Union can understand, and that includes me. But I will do my part to help win this battle, and all the Confederate soldiers and former slave owners will realize just how better this world is without slavery.

Ma, I know you're worried out of your mind, but please know that it is all going to be okay and I'll get home as soon as this war is over.

With Love,
Christopher







 

Justice

Twiglets, have you ever thought about what factors aid justice and factors that impede justice? Well, I'm guessing you haven't because I hadn't either until I started writing this blog post. Anyway, enjoy the blog!

Factors that aid justice: 

• Ever heard of the story about the Good Samaritan? The story about the one man who decided to help an injured man on the street when no one else would? Well, now you have. Anyway, if much more people would not only notice the suffering and hurt in the world, but also do something about it, justice would be so much easier to come by.

•  Responsibility is definitely another factor that could greatly aid the justice cause. All of us have to take responsibility for the awful things that are taking place in the Middle East and in Africa today. Just because it is not happening to us doesn't mean it can happen without us acting on it.

Factors that impede justice: 

• Ignoring human rights and focusing on topics that might not be as pressing as some of the problems that many people today face. There are many factors that governments have to take into account to make sure that everything is running smoothly. However, if people are being mistreated, a happy body of citizens and government is very hard to get. If we focus on making sure everyone's rights are balanced, then justice will be much more common.

• Backing down from wrong doing definitely does not build up justice. It is very hard to be courageous and brave in times of toughness, but if we can stand up for what is right, the world will be a much better place.

The Tolerance Experience

Twiglets! Welcome back! Today I will be discussing the controversial

topic of what it means to be a witness. In this post I am also going to be telling you all if I was transformed by my LA experience. Enjoy!

Being a Witness: I believe that if you are a witness to something that you feel is wrong or unfair, then it is your job to at the very least let people know what you saw, and or try and do something about it to make it better if possible. If you are not able to act, it is your duty to tell the scene exactly how you saw it so that action may be taken and good may prevail.

How was I transformed by the LA field trip?: After being informed of such an awful time in history, I was definitely made more aware that there is lots of evil out there in the world. However, there is a lot more good on Earth, it is just up to us to fight against these terrible people and make the world a better place.

Time Capsule

Welcome back Twiglets! I am so delighted that you are back for some more

blogging! In this post I will be discussing what items I would place in a time

capsule that reflects my life. Enjoy.

Family / Childhood: I was born in raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico and I lived their until I was 9 years old. Many of my childhood memories were made there and because of this I would definitely put the New Mexico flag in my time capsule.

Heritage / Culture / Roots: My mother and my father both have Spanish blood. On my mother's side, her birth father was from Spain and lived their for part of his life. My father also has Spanish blood because his mother's ancestors once lived in Portugal and Spain which is why I think I would put the Spanish flag in my time capsule because many of my family roots come from Spain or Spanish background.

Accomplishments / Achievements: For this category, I would put a cross in my time capsule because my faith is so important to whatever I choose to strive for and in what I accomplish throughout my journey. Even though it is not a specific achievement or accomplishment, my faith plays a huge role in all my accomplishments I have completed.

 

Legacy Left Behind: For my final item, I want to put something in the capsule that symbolizes hard work and dedication. I want people to think of my as someone who worked extra hard and was super determined to follow through with his passion and dream. For me, the item that would symbolize this would be a basketball because one of the best players in the NBA, Kevin Durant, said, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

Now, my capsule would definitely have to be a tree with four branches, one branch for each category so that everyone will be reminded of the great fan base that I have. Keep working hard Twiglets.

My Dreams

Welcome back to another blog post, Twiglets! 

Today I will be talking about dreams and how they have

affected my life.

 In the book, The Glory Field, the reoccurring theme of dreams greatly emphasizes one of the themes of the book, which includes breaking through society's barriers and overcoming obstacles. As for me, my parents have always taught me that no matter what I want to do in life, whether it be in school or my future career, I can achieve it as long as I put my mind to it and work hard. Even though I haven't had to go through many of the struggles that some of the characters in The Glory Field experience, there will always be people who try to bring you down in life, and if you use that as motivation and combine that with hard work, anything is possible.

There will always be lumberjacks that try to cut you down Twiglets, but don't let them stop you from sprouting.

Child of the West

"Child of the West"

Welcome Twiglets, today you will read about if I identify myself as a child of the west.

To me, the term "child of the west" can mean different things. In my case, I would define myself as a child of the west in the way of location. I was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which most people classify as a southwestern state. My family lived there for 9 years and most of my childhood was spent there which is why I would definitely classify myself as this.

Coming of Age

Coming of Age

 Hola Twiglets! Today I will tell you about the time when I sprouted from a wee little twiglet into a mighty branch. Enjoy.

 A few weeks ago, my mother, sister, and I traveled to Tennessee to visit my grandmother who has been having some health struggles as of lately. She is 82 years old, and still going very strong even though she has some heart and lung sicknesses that have weakened her ability to do things on her own. When we have visited in the past, she has never had to have us take care of her. Now however, there is always a person in her house that takes care of her 24/7 when she needs it, and adjusting to that was a big step that she had to take. When we arrived, my mother and her big brother needed some help with taking care of her, and it was hard for me, but it was good to know that I was contributing to her well being. Things such as getting her dressed, helping her into her wheelchair, helping her into bed, and more were all things we had to assist her with. Even though this isn't a super daunting task, it was a big responsibility and it made me grow and feel better knowing that I could help her in times of need.