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Silence... That’s what Oklahoma heard yesterday in its primary and state question elections. Not sure what I mean? Look at the horrible turnout for yesterday’s primary races and the proposed state question in Oklahoma. The turnout should alarm everyone.  In the Democratic primary for Governor, only 172,366 voted out of 564,700 registered Democrats (30%).  In the Republican primary for Governor, only 402,917 voted out of 1,207,548 registered Republicans (33%).  For state question 832, only 630,085 voted out of 2.2M+ total registered voters (28%). It doesn’t matter what party you belong to or where you stand on the issues, every single Oklahoman should find this troubling.  It's easy to look at political outcomes and feel frustrated. I get it, really, I do. I have been frustrated a lot but seeing the turnout so low… makes me angry. I don’t care if it’s a major election or primary election, we must show up. We can't build a better Oklahoma when most of us leave the dec...

  Photo by Gabor Szucs on Unsplash I love social media for its ability to keep me connected to people I met years ago at camp and now using it to keep connected to others I meet in my work and day to day life. Connection is what I think a lot of people want, and yet, with angry sharing on social media, we seem to just make people angry and hateful. The digital porch feels less like a place to gather and starting to feel like a stadium where everyone is booing. Our communities are turning into opposing teams. Instead of cheering for the athletes, for a good game, and having a good time supporting teams, we just wait for the other side to seemingly make a mistake.   What breaks my heart the most when I look at comment sections is that the people tearing each other apart don't even know one another. They aren't arguing with a neighbor; they are screaming in writing at someone they most likely don’t know or have ever met.   Our manners, our empathy, and our humanity are gone...

I used to think my future involved  sunglasses & a too cool for school expression, but life is funny. If you had told my elementary self that I’d still be in school decades later, I would have cried. But here I am!  Today, on Teacher Appreciation Day, I have a few very specific thank-yous.  To my past & present teachers: I’m fairly sure you all made it out okay but thank you for the infinite patience, guidance, knowledge, and care.  To my family and friends in the trenches: Your job is a thankless job. Thank you for showing up every day for the students and their families in your charge and for giving it your all. You inspire me. Thank you for showing me that a teacher voice is a legitimate superpower. 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️ To my past students: You are still in my heart. I think of you often and hope you’re out there making some 'good trouble.' 🥹 To the young people finding their footing to the adults sharing their stories to change policies that will help ...

I'm writing about something that’s been on my mind lately, because it’s showing up again. Recently, there have been comments questioning whether people with disabilities can or should serve in the highest levels of leadership. And when someone questions the capability of any person with a disability, it lands on the entire disability community. The message tells millions of people, “Leadership isn’t for you.” It’s Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and I can’t be silent. In honor of those I serve, those I care deeply for, those I work with, those I don’t   know, those that have come before me to fight for true equality and belonging… I want to say clearly: this is simply not true. I’ve spent more than thirty years working alongside people with disabilities and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: disability does not diminish intelligence, leadership, or the ability to make decisions. People with disabilities learn, communicate, and navigate the world in many di...

How many of you have watched the movie from 1976 The Network?  I haven't, though I keep thinking I should because of the famous scene that is typically called the "Mad as hell" scene. I'll insert it here for you, if you're interested. Be warned, there's a few curse words, including 'hell'.  This scene seems to resonate with me every time I watch it. I can't get away from this one line in particular, "I'm a human being, my life has value."  So many people are fighting to be recognized, to be understood, to be cared about. So many people are fighting so many systems... they're waiting in line for services... services that usually refer to people as a number. Are we taking time to really see and hear them? To show that yes, they are  valued and that the service system is here to help them be bolder, not to take away.  It takes courage to come to the system for help. People want to feel valued and the system can make people feel the o...

  Can we talk about “special needs proms?” The photos I have seen from a recent event are beautiful. I am genuinely glad the people who attended had a great time. Joy matters . But joy in a separate space does not equal inclusion. A separate prom is still segregation, even when it is wrapped in kindness. If a community can come together to create a big, joyful event, it is worth asking why we cannot create that same joy with everyone, more often, in the actual community. Why is separation still the default instead of inclusion. I also understand the value of disability‑specific spaces. Programs like the Youth Leadership Forum are important because they build identity, leadership, and community among people who share lived experience. These spaces exist to empower people, not to replace access to the broader community. A prom is different. A prom is a community milestone that everyone should have access to. Creating a separate version does not build belonging. It replaces it. I...

  The Unfinished Promise:  50 Years of IDEA and the Fight for Inclusion   I'm assuming you, the reader, believes in that big American idea: that everyone should have an equal shot… But making that happen? That's always been the real work.   And sometimes, the biggest fights  to help give that equal shot didn't happen in big protests; they happened right over the heads of kids, in the battle to get them a classroom desk.   This month, November 2025, the U.S. is marking a huge anniversary: 50 years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We need to celebrate it but also fight like heck to protect it.   To understand why IDEA matters so much, we should look back. Before 1975, it was totally different. There was no guarantee that kids with disabilities could even go to public school.   Think about that for a second. Millions of kids were legally shut out. They were institutionalized, kept home, or, if they were l...

We need to sound the alarm on the proposed & recent cuts to the Dept of Education, specifically those to Special Education Services & the core functions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These staffing cuts aren't just budget adjustments; they are a direct attack on the rights and well-being on our nation's children with disabilities. IDEA is a landmark civil rights law that guarantees a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for every child with a disability. It ensures access to specialized instruction, related services like speech, occupational, and physical therapy, & essential legal protections. I have listened to this poem by  Lederick Horne  a few times since these most recent actions to the Dept. of Education's Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). I feel so many emotions like anger , disappointment , scared , & sad . I don't know what to think & barely know what to do.  Decimating the s...

Happy New Year!  How many times have you heard this so far this month?  I think one thing this time of year and that phrase causes me to do is think about what will it take to have a happy year?  Many times I think we see the new year as a new chance to start something, learn something, etc. Look at gym memberships - they will increase in January as people start getting fit. Why do we choose to put it off and wait until another year? Why not the next month..or next week? Or better yet, the next day? If it's something you want to do or want to achieve, just start.  ...this is all sounding good to me, but yet this year... well, about halfway through the year, something changed. I don't know what - haven't figured that out. Something changed and the momentum I had gained in working out consistently and starting to plan and cook more at home hit a huge wall... a wall I am having trouble getting over. Every day my intention is to do better, but then I find myself disappoi...

More joy...  It's almost football time for the RAIDERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!  ⚑ The Raiders first preseason game starts soon, vs the San Francisco 49ers. I'm excited for the season, as I am every year, filled with hope, anticipation, excitement, and nerves. Lots of nerves. We start the year after a disappointing season last year. The Raiders have a new quarterback, having traded their starter for many years to the Saints. I'm not sure they traded for a better quarterback, but I don't think any worse. Their big time running back hasn't signed yet so is missing in action. We have some key defensive players back, but also new folks. I've been a Raider since ... I really don't know. It's been a while though. I always say since I was a little girl. I remember being at a friend's house and "some" football game was on. I don't remember who they were playing, but I do remember the Raiders never quit, coming back to win the game. I proclaimed th...

Finding My Joy I've realized I need to focus more on joy. Not just doing things that bring me joy, but realizing everything that brings me joy. There's a lot that brings joy to me, but I'm not sure I see it all the time. A quick list of things that bring me joy as I sit here: my family, sitting in my house, watching soccer, writing, even paying bills (sounds weird, but I am happy I have the ability to buy what I want and need)... Today's world can be overwhelming. News of bad things happening around the world can make me feel anxious, sad, angry, drained, upset... all the feelings. Thereare a lot of good things happening, too. I don't have a lot to say in this addition, except that I hope my writing encourages any reader to start recognizing all the joys in their life - the small joys, the big joys, and all the joys in between. They're there, I promise.  Tater Tot is chilling, while I write. 

Working on enjoying the little things... Since the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine(s), there have been so many changes in our lives - work, family, play, community, etc. for many of us. My work found itself closing its doors, opting to share a work space when we need it and work from home. This has been different to say the least. I sometimes go use the shared office space every day, but there are times being in my own space that are super cool. The other day... on another windy Spring day in Oklahoma, I decided to try out the kite I'd purchased late last year but hadn't tried it out. The only audio in this video is the wind - and it was windy out there - so feel free to mute and add your own music.  Here's to taking more time to enjoy all that life offers, but I forget.    

  I think I didn't realize how lucky I am for the family - immediate with my Mom, Dad, brothers... my brother's families... and their families... and my many, many cousins.  My Dad's family has a large reunion every three years. It first began with us all meeting in the Branson, MO area. I remember as a kid going, enjoying Silver Dollar City, canoing the river, swimming, eating, and more with all the Uncles and Aunts and the many, many cousins. We've since then moved the reunion to different locations. We've grown together, partied together, hugged on each other in places like Williamsburg (VA), Keystone (SD), South Haven (MI), Red River, Pigeon Forge (TN) and many places in Colorado.  These are extraordinary weekends. We just have a lot of fun, enjoying what the places have to offer - together.   Some may be thinking how does family relate to joy?  I mean, many of our family members we see and/or talk with a lot.  But do we really think about the joy ...

As I sit here listening to one of my new favorite songs, Joy, by Andy Grammer, I realize I don't celebrate enough. There is so much joy around me...and I'm missing it.  So here's to finding my joy - each and ever day.  My goal is to post something every day, to share my joy with others.  I hope this will help others realize the joy around them and to enjoy those moments. 🤟

Lately, I've been focusing on 'silencing my inner critic.'  My life coach, Mandi , has really been a huge help in me realizing how damaging this critic has been.  I haven't even realized how bad it's gotten, but my self-talk wasn't nice.  I've named this critic 'Sneaker' because its been sneaking around my life, throwing in gut punches, jabs, upper cuts, and knock outs to my psyche for a while.  Oh so long....  Sometimes it doesn't sneak around though.  Yesterday was one of those days. Omigosh, I was such a crank! I think this stemmed from feeling overwhelmed with things I need to do and want to do in my professional and personal life.  And then things started happening that just started me griping about - an email here, a meeting there... and then BEEP.  The smoke alarm started beeping. No, not a fire beep, but you know the sound when the battery is low?  Yes... that beep that keeps coming... every so often, though never in any sort of rhyth...

  It's Mom's birthday.  😁 While I may feel a little down, I think this time of year also helps.   The Christmas decorations, the tree, food smells, family...  I look at the Christmas tree (with the lights you put on), watch the birds flock to the bird feeders (with the occassional hungry squirrel shoving his face in the hole), look at the plants in your green house... I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't think of you and Dad...and I don't think I would want it any other way.    I never thought much about my middle name until you were gone... It wasn't that I didn't like it, but never really thought about it.  I've thought a lot more about it now.  I've been working on clearning the attic and finding things saved.  While you were great at letting go of the clutter (something I need to master), you still saved a few things.  Finding the dress you bought and wore on your wedding in Mexico or the tiny sweaters your kid...

I took this picture after a pretty bad ice storm that hit much of my state in October.  I say bad because many people in cities and rural areas lost electricity for over a week and trees were snapping with frequency.   So when our temperatures rebounded, thawing us out, I assumed that the flowers that had been encased in ice would soon fall to the ground and wait to try again til next year.  It was a pleasant surprise to see that not only did they stay but are thriving. I walk by them every day and just yesterday noticed a smile on my face and the feeling that washed over me (and washed over me again as I think about it).  Look at the photo again. Closer this time. I didn't see it when I took the photo. I merely wanted to keep the blooming fresh in my mind. But seems I was photo bombed. Look again. There is a bee visiting.  Hope. I took this photo when I was doing my best to hang on to Hope, while I felt my hope dwindling.  This gave me the...

Welcome to Jen's Pond!   I hope this blog gives you something to think about and maybe even challenge you, and then... hopefully, some things that I talk about will give you insight about something and will spread positively, like a ripple in a pond to others.   Please feel free to leave comments.  I welcome discussion from you.  Remember... one drop can cause a ripple.  What can you do to make more?

30 years ago. As I prepare this morning for another week at the Oklahoma Youth Leadership Forum, I make sure I’ve packed the memories of 30 years ago at Camp Jened.   Thirty years ago, this summer (1989 for those who dislike math as much as me), was as one of the best summers of my life.   Thirty years ago, during the fall semester of college, I had switched my major to Special Education. As the school year progressed, I wanted to do something different and yet I still wanted to work at summer camp. My college hosted a “Camp Fair,” and invited summer camps from the US to our campus to recruit camp counselors. There were a few that attracted me. I remember one that offered air conditioning in their cabins.   I visited with a few of the camps there, especially Camp Jened in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. The Camp Director, Gary Baker, was there personally.   We visited for a while and the more he talked, the more intrigued I became. I did have to c...

Last month (January 2018) I discovered a story my Mother had written in her high school days.  There are so many emotions I had (and still do) as I found this gem. I lost my Mom about 9 years ago and there really isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her.  The photo to the left is one that was taken a few few years before her passing. She was such an incredible woman... and I wish I'd taken advantage of learning more from her. As a member of a Toastmasters club, I have a few speaking manuals saved up that I thought would be good to work through to develop my speaking skills further. I presented this story for my first project in the Toastmasters Interpretive Reading Manual. Because of project constraints, I had to cut some out.  I've copied it here as she originally wrote it.    Hear me read it to my Toastmasters Club. Peace Comes Easily – by Ann (Edsall) Randle Ridiculous human beings, so blindly stupid, so easily led astray; chained in the ...