Blogging Looks Real Easy When Someone Else Is Doing It!

Good morning!  I hope this blog post finds you well.

You know, blogging looks so easy when other people do it!  I don't have any problem figuring out what to write.  My problem is applying worthwhile purpose and impetus to what I am expressing.

The purpose of this blog is to raise money for Malachi's trip to Europe next summer.  I have had a real problem expressing that, because it implies that I have no money.  Whether it's a matter of not having cash on hand for this kind of trip, which is reasonable, or feeling "less than" because I can't simply write a check (which is not), I have a need to come to grips with my true reason for starting this endeavor.

Yesterday I listened to an excellent audiocast of LaShanda Henry's "SistaSense Power Circle Webinar."  LaShanda presents sophisticated marketing and self-development concepts in terms that resonate with the "sista" in me. She asked, "What are you doing?"  A simple question, but the uptake of it was, "Are you doing what makes you money, or are you doing what makes you feel good?"  Brought me up short.  I was forced to admit that I have indeed been preoccupying myself with this particular form of self-doubt and procrastination.  LaShanda's tough questions are not just for BlackGirls.  Go here: SistaSense Webinar: Blessings and Business  and face yourself.

 LaShanda's insights are similar to what David Amerland and Martin Shervington discuss in Google Semantic Search: What's it All About?.  I mention this because David and Martin are discussing the same strategies from a different perspective.  LaShanda's admonition to "stop giving the store away," was hard to hear, but much needed for someone like me, who is just starting out on this long and winding road. David's declaration that "business simply cannot afford to ignore the power of one person's opinion on social media channels," is just as true and meaningful for me.  Therein lies my power, if I will just claim it!

I was struck by the fact that both of these accomplished social media marketers touched on "the power of one" in similar terms.  No matter who you are or where you come from, as an individual, you have never had more power to influence the daily activities of companies large and small.  There has never been a time in the history of history where any person can reach millions of people with their unique vision, worldview, product or service.

The only person who can stop me from making this blog and the dream it represents for Malachi a success is me.  Have a great day.

"A Short Pictorial History of Malachi"

Malachi and JJ

Vance-Granville Early College High School

Pruning Crepe Myrtle like this makes them bloom like giant ice cream cones!

Malachi's eldest brother Jordan

Grandmom's birthday tea: Charles, jd, Jordan, Grandma, Ashton, Aunt Dorothy, cousin Phyllis

World's most entitled dog, Lily Flowers!

Malachi does not yet know I posted this pic of him in his "Stewie" pajamas!

Lily at the base of "Kahuna" King of Oak Trees

Ashton and Malachi wait for Bojangles...

They like it spicy!

Nature makes me feel photogenic....

Our favorite spot 5 miles north of the Carolina/Virginia border.

VGCC azaleas in spring.

I'm changing hairstyles.  Stop taking pictures of this.

The boys' favorite food besides, lasagne, baked ziti, collard greens, lima beans....

Arches and walkways are a feature of ECHS' beautiful setting

Cousins Jonathan and Sean get some strange looks, but they love rock and roll.

Summer at the lake is over too soon....

H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library, Henderson, NC

"What's his problem?"

Dr. Adrienne Morton, center, retired as principal of E.O. Young Elementary after she got my kid graduated from there!

#FriendsofMalachiMaxwellGlass

Good morning!  Thanks so much for all the encouragement I've gotten for this blog.  It means a lot when you make a start at something and your friends tell you what you need to hear--especially if you are willing to accept what is being said!

It's not easy to start over at anything.  You have to be willing to scrap what isn't working.  When experts see that you are willing to take their (free) advice and use it constructively, it's a boost for you and them alike.

Welcome To Malachi's People To People Blog and Journal!

FriendsofMalachi are on the Plus!

"Focus on what is important."

When you are confronted with reality-inducing advice, what do you do?  You get to work.  Malachi Maxwell Glass is my sixteen year old son.  He has been added to the delegation of People to People Students who are going to Italy, Sicily, and Greece next summer.  This is a life-changing opportunity for him, and although I am running a gauntlet of haters and nay-sayers, I will make sure that he is able to meet the expenses of the trip.  It's hard to admit you need supporters for this kind of endeavor, but it is the truth.  I must mobilize every kind of support to enable my son to take this trip.  Creating this blog/travel journal is the first step.  In the upcoming days and weeks, it will bloom, grow, and flourish, with your help.  Thoughtful comments and criticism are welcome.