Our in-service this year dealt with bullying and with kindness for kindness' sake.  I'm not a bit dubious in some of the discussions of bullying--it's not that I want anyone picked on.  But I think much of the responsibility should come from parents who themselves are not bullies and who actively parent.

Our in-service, though, told the remarkable story of Columbine victim Rachel Scott, and the power of words and her family's crusade to help her make a difference even after she was snatched from the pursuit of her dreams.

Dreams.  They sustain us; sometimes they destroy us.  What is the difference, sometimes, between finding the strength to go on because of a long held dream or the decision to forsake all hope of ever achieving a dream?  Sometimes I wonder. 

Today, my dream was alive and well.  Someone bought my most recent work; I hope he or she enjoys it.  While some authors count their sales in the millions, some of us smile all day over just one more sale.  Because, you know, it's a small part that some of us never give up.  That many of us do.  And the sad thing is not knowing, ultimately, what our choice will be.

Today, here's to dreams.  To the young firefighter who told me he wanted to write a  book about a firefighting teddy bear.  He has several young children, and I was touched by his dream.  But I struggled mightily about what to tell him--I talked about text and illustrations and publishers and not using brand names carelessly--but I didn't tell him about the competition, the long waits.  The rejections.  Maybe his dream will burst into bloom--I would love him to have that.

Dreams, I think, are the best of us.  Deciding when and to what extent we follow them is a choice we each must make.  I'm still hanging on to mine for awhile.

And on the promotional issue--I have a themed collection out at Amazon, Smashword, et al.  La Llorona (The Wailing Woman) is a short story based on a Mexican cultural icon, a young woman who drowned her children in the Rio Grande. It includes an essay about moms who kill--you may have read my thoughts on one such mom (think Casey Anthony) here at AD.  And the collection is wrapped with a selection of like-minded poetry.

So, hang onto your dreams.  Visit my Leslie P Garcia--Author Page if you'd like.  And as for my dreams?  Well...selling a few hundred thousand more of anything couldn't hurt!