God Bless America

The Southwestern tales, which are also known as Hispanic folktales, were first told around the early nineteenth century and are still told today. Presently, the folktales are used to instill moral lessons and the meanings of religions to people of different ages, especially young children. Jose Griego y Maestas collected and presented the tales “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” and “La comadre Sebastiana (Dona Sebastiana)” in Tales from the Hispanic Southwest. The tale of “Los tres…

been majorly stressed, to the point that my stomach has been nothing but a mess. Eating has been a real struggle and I’ve lost some weight. I’ve had a few breakdowns. I’ve cried so many tears that sometimes I’ve even run out of them. I’ve fought with God. Not just internally, but at 1:30AM in a sanctuary speaking to Him. I’ve been so moody lately. My mind and my heart are constantly contradicting one another. My mind says to keep to myself but my heart knows that these are the days I should be…

heart of God through meditation on scripture and prayer. I provided them with a prayer prompt and the space necessary for them to listen to what God may desire to speak to them. Afterwards, we come together to allow them to listen to one another share what their experience was like and what they…

He got up after a little while and decided to spend the day exploring the city. He saw a man on the corner of the street off the highway, holding a sign that read “anything can help, god bless” he dropped $5 in the can and asked him, “May I sit?” “Of course sir!” The man said with excitement. He sat down with the man and asked him all sorts of questions about his life and where he came from. Charlie was touched by the man's story and…

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, is a complex novel that includes many recurring themes. One theme portrayed throughout the story is the concept of the main characters coming of age, while seeking an understanding of what his future holds. Antonio, the main character, is an adolescent finding his way through the stages of childhood and adulthood. He is the youngest boy in a family that wishes for their children to embrace the life of the church. Antonio experiences family pressures to pursue a…

In my ethnographic trip I headed to a Non-Denomination Hispanic Christian Church. They hold services every weekend so I specifically chose Sunday night to hear their message. I chose this church because I have a grandmother who attends here and I felt comfortable to have someone I knew guide me. My initial thoughts prior to visiting this church was the same as the other churches I had visited before. I expected to walk in and sit down with no one really paying much attention to me. I was also…

The sanctity of the moment was interrupted by voices coming up the trail. Two young men walked on past us at a good clip. We acknowledged them; they did not acknowledge us—too involved in their conversation with one another. They were talking about “doing” trails. One said something about “doing Berryvale,” which I know to be a great hike out of Big Basin Park. They were so much into their own exploits and planned exploits that they did not see the view of the bay. They did not see the gulch…

"Happiness is only real when shared", a quote by Chris McCandless. Chris went into the wilderness to experience adventures and to find his meaning of happiness. He found happiness in both nature and his heart. He realized that the feeling and experiences of his happiness were best shared with someone. Throughout the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, Jon talked about the folks Chris had befriended along the way on his adventures and the strong impressions he left. Chris McCandless was a unique…

Critics of Bernie have struggled to classify the movie, and viewers would certainly attest to this statement. The movie is placed in the satire genre, but this does not seem necessarily complete. The film is well made and the level that it grips the watcher is almost disturbing. Although the film begins with an unusual opening of a jolly and flamboyant mortician conducting a procedure on a corpse for a guest lecture, Bernie morphs into a dark irony. As he prepares the dead for burial, he…

Becky. She became very enthralled with her students and pushed us to pursue our dreams. She even gave me a book for my birthday called How the Body Works, in which she wrote, “The more we learn about our bodies the more we learn about ourselves. God bless you.” Till this day I still have that book to remind me why I wanted to be a doctor. She also put me in charge of caring for the flowers that we had outside of the classroom. She taught me valuable lessons about compassion and nurturing. I…