It has been a long time since I have been on here. Today I just felt the urge to write something. It's almost as if God wants me to write some words of inspiration to someone. In these past few months I have had a multitude of bad things happen to me. It's been really hard for me to find a way to verbalize what has happened and explain my feelings. Therefore I thought I might utilize a method that will allow me to use the right words.
On September 2nd 2011 I was supposed to spend the day with my Grandpa Reed since my mother and Aunt Martha had gone up to Indianapolis to visit my Aunt Cheryl who was dying from an infection she contracted in the middle of her Cancer. Luckily, I had the opportunity to share a few kind words and laughs with my grandpa over the phone that morning. When I arrived at his house and walked through the back door I found him laying on the kitchen floor. My instinct at the time was not to panic and follow through with the procedure I had learned through my CPR training at work. I dialed 911 and performed CPR since there was no pulse. When the EMTs arrived, he was pronounced dead. My heart was broken terribly and still has been broken ever since. This has been the darkest day of my life so far and I will never forget it and will always have the image in my head of what I saw when I walked through that back door. This man was like a father to me and I will always miss him.
Two days later we received a phone call from a friend of the family who was up in Indianapolis visiting my aunt saying that she had passed away. Even though we were already anticipating for it to happen, we still had a rough time dealing with it because we already lost one family member whom we loved very much. This woman was a great mother, daughter, sister, and aunt. She was always there for her familyI really enjoyed spending time with her. If it had not been for her pushing me to do certain things like joining the church worship team, singing in the choir, or actively participating in other ministries within the church I would not have been where I am today. Hopefully her husband and her sons cared about her ten times as much as I did because she deserved a lot of love and respect. I was really sad that she had to suffer through so much pain for so long, but I am now happy for her because she will no longer suffer through any pain.
I feel like my healing has begun, but I am still in a lot of pain right now. My family has been split up due to disagreements over my grandpa's land causing my mother to break down, I have been in two accidents that happened within eight days of each other, and I am worried about how the holidays are going to go this year. With this weight bearing down on my shoulders I have been overwhelmed with grief. I have really been wanting to talk to my grandpa because he would know what to say in a situation like this, but i can't. It really makes me sad that he is not physically able to be there for my mom or I. I just want this year to be over because I want to forget all these things and move on.
Even though I have been suffering a lot lately there are several positive notes that I can make. First, I know that I am not alone in this. There are many more people out there in this world who have suffered through similar or worse situations than I have. This is my opportunity to present the stories of the situations that I have been through, speak about how God has been with me through it all, and tell the world of His great love for us. If you lost a loved one and feel like this is a punishment, it's not. God has called that person home. Second, If you allow Christ to come into your life and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, He will do wondrous things for you that are beyond your imagination. Your heart will be filled with so much love, compassion, and joy. Finally, he will bring you hope. Meaning that he will always provide for you. Who knows....... You may make it to Heaven and get to see your loved ones again. That's the hope that I have right now.
The other hope that I have is that I have inspired someone and that they will, at least, consider accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior. You will not regret it if you do. I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Please talk to me if you have any questions or comments about this post or if you would like for me to pray for you. I would be more than happy to make myself available for you. Thanks!
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Here is an inspirational music video that I think goes along with my post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLHE4P-B2FA&ob=av2e
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Funeral Letter
Dear friends, family, and members of the community,
It is with great joy and happiness that I tell you that my grandfather made it to heaven. When my pastor asked me to say something about him here at the funeral, I turned him down because I was still grieving over the loss and was afraid break out into tears on the pulpit in front of everyone. I miss him so much. I miss traveling with him, taking him out to eat, doing absolutely nothing, and listening to his advice about women or letting it go in one ear and out the other. J On the day after I began to collect my thoughts. I asked myself “Who am I to keep the information of his incredible life from others?”.
If you think about the way he lived his life, every single detail points to the way Christ commanded us to live our lives. One of the fondest memories I can think of is when he drove the church van for the youth and some of the elderly. This had a major influence in helping me discover the career path that God has chosen for me. It gave me the longing to one day be able to help the population of youth that my grandfather was already helping. My grandfather demonstrated the same kind of love to those youth that Christ gave to us. He did not sacrifice near as much as Christ did for us, but he did go above and beyond for many years making sure that people got to and from church.
Finally, he loved his family more than anything else of this world. Whenever we needed him, he was there to help, support, and pray for us. When I was in high school, he let my mother and I stay with him after we lost our house. Those were some of the most influential months that shaped me as a follower of Christ and as a human being. He taught me how to care for others, be respectful, and work hard for the things I want in life. I’ll never forget the three loving words he said to me everyday: “Get a job!” All in all, his ultimate goal was to make it to Heaven to be with our Savior, his wife, and now his daughter.
To my grandfather: This is not goodbye. I will see you when I get there.
Thanks everyone for all your love, prayers, and support!
Sincerely,
Joey
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Our Time Is Now
This is a little poem I wrote that just came to me.
Our time is now
To stop the fighting, bullying, and abuse.
Our time is now
To look into the eyes of the children
And let him or her know that someone cares for them and loves them a lot.
Our time is now to feed them, clothe them, and bathe them.
Our time is now
To provide them with a quality education.
Our time is now
To stand up for them.
Our time is now
To teach them right from wrong.
Our time is now
To be there for them whenever they need us.
Our time is now
To become positive role models.
Our time is now
Not later and not never.
Our time is now
To be like Jesus in the eyes of our children.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Reflection of ADHD and LD
ADHD and LD gave me clear instruction on how to work with groups of kids that have learning disabilities. I barely knew that there were a variety of ways to make sure that students maintain their attention during class. As a residential counselor for St. Joseph Children’s Home I have a tough time keeping the kids from talking out loud, keeping their eyes on and not interrupting a staff member or peer while they have the floor, respecting one another, etc. during our group meetings where they are informed of the consequences or rewards for exhibiting certain behaviors. I feel motivated to utilize some of the techniques that I learned while watching this video. I was also impressed with the teaching strategies that were discussed. I already know what a VIP is and how to utilize one, but this video showed me that there is more to teaching special needs students than this technique alone. I am planning on teaching a class on social issues where I am employed as part of my assignment for another course that I am taking this semester. Therefore, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to watch this video. Now I have knowledge of some different techniques I can incorporate into the project.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Cultural Groups
Even though the predominant ethnic group in the area I live in is Caucasian American, there are a multitude of other groups that come in small amounts. In Harrison County up to 5.7% of the population are black and African American. Up to 0.6% are American Indian and Alaskan natives. 1.6% of the residents are Asian. Last, but not least, a handful of the population is made up of Hispanics and Latinos. The percentage is unknown, but they are prevalent in the county. This data was provided by the Census Bureau website.
In order to teach the kids I work with the values, traditions, and beliefs of those cultural groups, I would first start familiarizing them with stereotypes that we make towards certain people that are different from them. When teaching children about different cultures, you are basically teaching them how people in other countries live their lives. The first thing they would have to understand is that most countries speak a different language than we do or they speak English, but in a different dialect or accent. Next, we all have different likes and dislikes. For instance, Americans like to put a lot of sugar in their desserts whereas Hispanics tend to not utilize as much.
Another matter to discuss is that there are differences in how we value our education. Every country tends to educate its children at a different pace. In many countries, having an education is a privilege due to high levels of poverty throughout the world. Fortunately, in our country it is a law that every child attends school. One issue that I have come across constantly throughout my career as a student and continuously at my job is that we do not respect one another due to our differences. Stereotyping and name-calling is a constant problem that is prevalent all throughout our nation. I try to teach my kids that we all have feelings and many differences. If they do not respect one another they can trigger negative behavior from their peers and cause them to escalate. Therefore, we need to be careful about what we say to one another and not say things that come across as offensive.
In order to teach the kids I work with the values, traditions, and beliefs of those cultural groups, I would first start familiarizing them with stereotypes that we make towards certain people that are different from them. When teaching children about different cultures, you are basically teaching them how people in other countries live their lives. The first thing they would have to understand is that most countries speak a different language than we do or they speak English, but in a different dialect or accent. Next, we all have different likes and dislikes. For instance, Americans like to put a lot of sugar in their desserts whereas Hispanics tend to not utilize as much.
Another matter to discuss is that there are differences in how we value our education. Every country tends to educate its children at a different pace. In many countries, having an education is a privilege due to high levels of poverty throughout the world. Fortunately, in our country it is a law that every child attends school. One issue that I have come across constantly throughout my career as a student and continuously at my job is that we do not respect one another due to our differences. Stereotyping and name-calling is a constant problem that is prevalent all throughout our nation. I try to teach my kids that we all have feelings and many differences. If they do not respect one another they can trigger negative behavior from their peers and cause them to escalate. Therefore, we need to be careful about what we say to one another and not say things that come across as offensive.
Reflection of "The Teachings of Jon"
Sometimes we make the wrong assumptions about families that live with a child or person with special needs. We think that those particular families live in turmoil. The documentary that we watched in class called The Teachings of Jon show that their lives are the exact opposite of how people with “normal” lives would think. At first, his family members thought that raising a child with down syndrome would ruin their lives, but later found out that they were blessed to have a family member like Jon. It seems absurd to me that someone would even consider putting their child in an institution. If I were in a similar “situation” I would step up to the plate and accept the challenge. At first, they did not, but eventually did. They now live richer lives because of it.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Letter to Editor
Another assignment for special education class.
To whom it may concern:
It is phenomenal to see how people have been able to work together throughout time to assist those who are less fortunate than others. Your article U Highlights Students with Disabilites, which concerns the “Faces” campaign that was launched by the diasabilities services at the University of Minnesota, is very informative about the process and how it is helping the students that attend that university. After reading the article many would be convinced that the program would be very successful.
According to the information provided in the article, the campaign has benefited people with disabilities in many different ways. Unfortunately, there is one flaw that could come across as a major disadvantage for that campaign. Everyone needs to keep in mind that those who require more accommodations or more attention at school or college are just humans like the rest of us. We need to be careful about how we label people, even those with disabilities. This is something that many people are unaware of unless they are working or learning how to work with special needs students.
If we should not label people by what kind of disability they have, what race they are, what ethnic origin they have, then how should refer to them? It seems that the best thing to do is call them by their name. You stated that “people like Quinn have been able to overcome challenges that accompany their disabilities thanks to the University of Minnesota’s Disability Services”. Instead you should have said that Quinn has been able to overcome many challenges due to the opportunities that the campaign offers to its students. In the future, it would be better for you to become more empathetic towards people and the dilemmas they are facing. It is my hope that in the future you will be more considerate towards your interviewees and those involved in the topic you wish to address.
Sincerely,
Joey Whitman
Reflection of "Including Samuel"
This is an assignment I did for my special education class. We had to watch a video in class and write a one paragraph reflection on it.
As I was watching the documentary Including Samuel I took some notes and wrote down some questions regarding the things that were occurring and how my life might be affected if I ever ended up having to raise a child with a special need. What would go through my mind if I were told that my child had something wrong with him or her? How would I handle the situation? What types of problems would they face growing up? Would they be able to make friends and go to school without being ridiculed? According to the documentary, there’s no way you can truly know how it is to raise a special needs child until the situation hits home. I felt that the video is very informative about what life is like for a child who requires more resources to learn and develop than most other children. It gives you the insurance that there are people out there in the world that really do care about the special needs of these special children.
As I was watching the documentary Including Samuel I took some notes and wrote down some questions regarding the things that were occurring and how my life might be affected if I ever ended up having to raise a child with a special need. What would go through my mind if I were told that my child had something wrong with him or her? How would I handle the situation? What types of problems would they face growing up? Would they be able to make friends and go to school without being ridiculed? According to the documentary, there’s no way you can truly know how it is to raise a special needs child until the situation hits home. I felt that the video is very informative about what life is like for a child who requires more resources to learn and develop than most other children. It gives you the insurance that there are people out there in the world that really do care about the special needs of these special children.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Give Them A Home
Greetings everyone! I hope everyone has had a wonderful and relaxing summer. It has been a long time since I have been on here. As you all know, I have been hired as one of the new residential counselor's at St. Joseph Children's Home and might I say, I have had an excellent experience so far. Even though I have only been there for two weeks, I feel that I have gained an extensive amount of knowledge. I look forward to working there for years to come and gaining new experiences. Most of all, I hope that I will have a positive influence on the kids that will last them a lifetime.
As I was shadowing this past Thursday, I learned some startling information that I wish to bring to your attention. You may want to make sure you sit down for this one. In the state of Kentucky 87% of children from facilities like St. Joes are returned back to the state's custody after being adopted. Think about that for a second. The total head count of those children would be far more to count than humanly possible. At least in my mind it would be. It just blows my mind to think that that many children in one state will go without a family to live with this year that will love them, take care of them, and never intentionally try to hurt them.
There are many people that we can place the blame on for this issue (i.e., I am about to insert my opinion. If this offends you in any way, I apolologize. It is not meant to be offensive in any way. This topic is up for debate, so I would love to hear your rebuttal.). First, the biological family and/or the primary legal guardians that put their kids in this position, including parents everywhere, not just in Kentucky. I blame you for not providing a stable and healthy living environment for your children to live in. If you intentionally caused your children any kind of distress, whether long-term or short-term, then shame on you. If you love your child, you would have never once laid a hand on them.
Second, I blame the foster parents because you gave these kids false hope and gave up on them. If you could not handle the kid, it is your fault. You should have educated yourself more thoroughly about the child's history and condition before making the decision of whether or not to adopt him or her. I personally know a few people that have had their hopes shattered many times because they were given a home and then placed right back where they started.
Before I share the last one, I have heard someone place the blame for Kentucky's return rate on the foster care system of the state. I personally believe that they are not to blame at all. I am more prone to blame those residential workers who leave their foster care home because they simply cannot handle working with this population of children. These children are likely to believe that you all left because you did not love them enough to stay and take care of them. I believe, therefore, that it leads them to believe that everyone else outside the system, even foster parents, is the same way. If you are like me and are one of the select few that will not give up on them and will do everything possible to provide a stable, loving, and nurturing HOME for these kids, then good for you! I encourage you to never give up like the others have.
Notice in the last paragraph I wrote the word home in all capital letters. I did that because providing a home for children is the main goal of the foster care system. It is not enough just to give someone who has very little to nothing a house. They need a safe, loving, and nurturing environment that they feel comfortable living in every day. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to do this for these kids and do not plan on leaving until He calls me to pursue a position that will allow me to do even greater things to further His kingdom.
As I was shadowing this past Thursday, I learned some startling information that I wish to bring to your attention. You may want to make sure you sit down for this one. In the state of Kentucky 87% of children from facilities like St. Joes are returned back to the state's custody after being adopted. Think about that for a second. The total head count of those children would be far more to count than humanly possible. At least in my mind it would be. It just blows my mind to think that that many children in one state will go without a family to live with this year that will love them, take care of them, and never intentionally try to hurt them.
There are many people that we can place the blame on for this issue (i.e., I am about to insert my opinion. If this offends you in any way, I apolologize. It is not meant to be offensive in any way. This topic is up for debate, so I would love to hear your rebuttal.). First, the biological family and/or the primary legal guardians that put their kids in this position, including parents everywhere, not just in Kentucky. I blame you for not providing a stable and healthy living environment for your children to live in. If you intentionally caused your children any kind of distress, whether long-term or short-term, then shame on you. If you love your child, you would have never once laid a hand on them.
Second, I blame the foster parents because you gave these kids false hope and gave up on them. If you could not handle the kid, it is your fault. You should have educated yourself more thoroughly about the child's history and condition before making the decision of whether or not to adopt him or her. I personally know a few people that have had their hopes shattered many times because they were given a home and then placed right back where they started.
Before I share the last one, I have heard someone place the blame for Kentucky's return rate on the foster care system of the state. I personally believe that they are not to blame at all. I am more prone to blame those residential workers who leave their foster care home because they simply cannot handle working with this population of children. These children are likely to believe that you all left because you did not love them enough to stay and take care of them. I believe, therefore, that it leads them to believe that everyone else outside the system, even foster parents, is the same way. If you are like me and are one of the select few that will not give up on them and will do everything possible to provide a stable, loving, and nurturing HOME for these kids, then good for you! I encourage you to never give up like the others have.
Notice in the last paragraph I wrote the word home in all capital letters. I did that because providing a home for children is the main goal of the foster care system. It is not enough just to give someone who has very little to nothing a house. They need a safe, loving, and nurturing environment that they feel comfortable living in every day. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to do this for these kids and do not plan on leaving until He calls me to pursue a position that will allow me to do even greater things to further His kingdom.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
09/10/09
Just so everyone knows, I have another blog that I have been using for my internship. Therefore I will not be writing on here for a while. The URL is whitmanbgcinternship.blogspot.com. Thanks.
Your Brother in Christ,
Joey
Your Brother in Christ,
Joey
Friday, July 17, 2009
07/17/09
As most of you may know I have applied for an internship with the Boys and Girls Club (whom I volunteer for). I have spoken with the program director a few times this week. He acted like he was going to call me in for an interview. When we spoke today he mentioned that he hardly ever turns anyone down unless there is a red flag such as a lot of applicants or something like that. Anyways, I am confident that I will get the position. I would like to ask everyone to keep me in your prayers about that. I want to thank those of you who continually pray for me. I have been trying my best to continue down the path that God has laid out for me. I have strived as hard as I can to express the love that he has shown me to you and others within my community which is my goal in life. I want people to see that I have strived to live a Christ-like life.
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
06/28/09
A few friends of mine are struggling with some issues. I will not go into details about one of them. The other person is having some financial issues which are keeping her from attending college next semester. I am going to make it a point to pray every day that these issues get worked out as soon as possible so that she may resume her college career and do the work that God has intended for her to do. I am asking that everyone prays along with me. I really do want the best for both of them. Thanks.
Your Brother In Christ,
Joey
Your Brother In Christ,
Joey
Thursday, May 14, 2009
05/14/2009
So here I am. I have found myself thinking about this girl again. I still like her and would like to have the chance to tell her how I feel. I haven't seen her for a while so I don't know if I'll ever get that chance. I'm starting to think about her less and less which seems to be both good and bad. Good because I am able to focus on more important things like my school work. Last fall I had trouble focusing because I was thinking a lot about her. My grades didn't suffer really bad though. Bad because my feelings for her are dissolving bit by bit each day. The reason being is that she may feel the same way about me as I feel about her. You can never be too sure though. Despite all this, I am resting assured that the Lord has someone special out there for me, whether or not it be this girl. By placing my faith in him, I know that everything is going to work out. As long as his will is forfilled, that's all I care about. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far. Please keep me in your prayers as I am taking summer courses.
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Monday, May 4, 2009
05/04/2009
I take my last 2 finals and give a presentation tomorrow. I ask that everyone remember me in your prayers tonight. Thanks.
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
04/29/2009
I take my first final exam tomorrow. So I ask that everyone remember me in their prayers.
Monday, April 27, 2009
04/28/2009
From now on I am just going to use dates for the titles. It hurts my head trying to think of a title.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Why?
Lately people have been questioning me about why I had chosen not to major in music anymore. I am writing this so my explanation can be clearly understood. Please understand that I love music. It is a passion of mine and a God-given gift that I have been able to use to help advance his kingdom. If I would have continued majoring in it, things would have gone down hill.
For the longest time, I wanted to become a famous Christian singer. I would have been doing something great for the Lord, but I had the wrong motive. Deep down I really wanted to do this to make myself look good. Kind of like the motive that some people have when worshiping the Lord and praying. They just wanted to make theirselves look good. I believe the Lord punished me by making me fail a music course. I didn't see it then, but lately I have been looking back on that and have come to this conclusion.
Does this mean I am throwing music out of my life? No because God still continues to use me in my church, my school, CSF, etc. by ministering to others in song. Music will continue to be a part of my life and God will continue to allow me to use this gift to inspire others. Plus I would have worked hard all these years for nothing.
Today, in case anyone didn't know, I am a psychology major and am in pursuit of becoming a school counselor for ages K-12. This requires at least a Master's degree through the education program at IUS. This is a whole other story that I would be glad to tell anyone about in person. I truly believe that this is what God would have me do. I believe that clears it all up. You all may think I have thrown my life away and you are right. But I have thrown it away and taken the life that God has planned for me to have. Thanks to everyone who continually supports me with this decision.
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
For the longest time, I wanted to become a famous Christian singer. I would have been doing something great for the Lord, but I had the wrong motive. Deep down I really wanted to do this to make myself look good. Kind of like the motive that some people have when worshiping the Lord and praying. They just wanted to make theirselves look good. I believe the Lord punished me by making me fail a music course. I didn't see it then, but lately I have been looking back on that and have come to this conclusion.
Does this mean I am throwing music out of my life? No because God still continues to use me in my church, my school, CSF, etc. by ministering to others in song. Music will continue to be a part of my life and God will continue to allow me to use this gift to inspire others. Plus I would have worked hard all these years for nothing.
Today, in case anyone didn't know, I am a psychology major and am in pursuit of becoming a school counselor for ages K-12. This requires at least a Master's degree through the education program at IUS. This is a whole other story that I would be glad to tell anyone about in person. I truly believe that this is what God would have me do. I believe that clears it all up. You all may think I have thrown my life away and you are right. But I have thrown it away and taken the life that God has planned for me to have. Thanks to everyone who continually supports me with this decision.
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Prayer Request for My Mom
I would like to request that everyone keep my mom in their prayers this week. There is a rumor going around at her job that they are going to start cutting the days down to four days a week. This would cause her to lose about 8 hours a week. Thanks and may God be with all of us college students who have final exams approaching.
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
Your brother in Christ,
Joey
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