Me, Marsha Marie

Happy Back to School Everyone! In honor of schools all around us starting back up, I wanted to send a special shout-out to all of my fellow teacher-friends around the world. You guys rock!!! Below, I have added one of my favorite writings that I did for a family magazine in UAE, around 2012. I think it is just as valid today.   Dear Teachers, Things aren’t always that easy for me to say. I try to get my feelings out, but too often they just won’t manifest the way I want. I know that school is good for me, and it’s preparing me for my future; I get that point. But, what about now—my present? Lately, I have been wondering why you never ask me how I feel, or want. I mean, is following the schedule and curriculum all that school is really about? Well, if you were to ask me today what I need, this is what I would say to you. First of all, I would like you to greet me each and every day I come into the classroom. Smile and say hi! When the week has finished, tel...

  Hi All,   I am so excited to announce that my ebook, It's Hard to Meditate When Your Butt Itches: My Journey to Find Inner Peace: It's Only the Beginning , is finally ready and has been uploaded to Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and MarshaMarie.com . Writing this ebook has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. During this time, I laughed and cried; and now, I am so happy to be sharing my experiences with all of you.   The book covers a two-month-span of my learning how to meditate, and the amazing changes that I felt within as a result. It shares my failures and my victories. Join me as I stop looking outward for things to take my hidden pains away, and start looking within for real happiness and joy. My life has been changed forever as a result, and I am extremely grateful for that.   My greatest hope now is that someone who may also be looking...

Hi All, I've been super busy working on my It's Hard to Meditate When Your Butt Itches  book: been doing a lot of writing, editing, testing and thinking. Yesterday, I decided to put a small glossary in it for those readers who are new to the topic of mediation and may feel a bit lost by some of the vocab that comes with exploring this complex topic. One of the new words I've recently come across is equanimity . When I first heard it I thought I understood it right away; but I was so wrong. I thought it might have had something to do with being equal to something else. hahaha. not even close Marsha!  It turns out that equanimity means mental calmness, having composure or being even-tempered. (I really don't see the root word in it, but I'll go along with it.) So then I started thinking about equanimity, and how one would achieve it.  Sure lots of different ways to get there I suppose, but I also think equanimity would depend on what someone would consider menta...

Carnation and I at the United Pentecostal Church Youth Camp, 1980-something in Arizona. Dearest Carnation,              If there were a picture in the dictionary for the word friend, yours would be there. We have known each other since Mr. Campbell’s class in the 4 th grade. To be honest, I do not even remember the first time that we met. It seems like you have just always been there---always been there for me to lean on when I needed it. Even to this day.             Do you remember all of those times we walked to school together? And when your family let me live with you for a while; your mom and dad let me share a room with you? You were old lace and I was soccer balls , but we managed to blend it and have fun. I can still remember coming to your home in the morning and sitting with your family for breakfast every morning; your mother's gravy is still the best.   Your p...

Hi All, Today while driving down the freeway here in Phoenix, I once again gazed upon the most beautiful and massive American flag I have ever seen. I see it every day as I drive to work, and I never get tired of watching it wave so ever gracefully in the air. But today a different thought crossed my mind: I wonder what God's flag would look like if he had one? I wonder if He already has one? What would be on it? Would it have clouds, or angel wings? Would it be colorful or totally white? Would it have Hell-fire and brimstone on it? Or maybe an algebraic equation of some kind?  That has now got me wondering why flags are so important in the first place. What is it that brings me that warm fuzzy feeling when I see that same American flag flying so gracefully in the breeze every single day? It's so much more than a piece of fabric; it makes men stand at attention and invoke so many to tears. No matter what country, the flag is a meaningful cherished sense of belonging....

Hi All,  Today I want to talk about big families. While I was living in the Middle East I ran upon myriads of families that put the size of minuscule family to shame. Once, one of my students told me he had 18 brothers and sisters. I was stunned at his declaration and asked him recite all of the names in front of the English class. One of my favorite English lessons is about the "titles" of family members. Inevitably I would have a contest in the class to see who could name the most cousins in their own family. (Just imagine how many cousins there could be with 18 brothers and sisters......lots!!!  hahaha)  Myself? Well, I only have two sisters and one brother, and then we weren't even raised together; so my knowledge of big families and how they survive is limited; but I did have Aunt Ida and Uncle Ron as an exemplary example. They had 6 kids of their own, then they adopted another, and then added on a couple grand-kids to boot. I couldn't wait each we...