After the violence that happened last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia I feel that it is necessary for me to give my thoughts on the situation. I am so saddened that violence there caused the death of a young woman and two state troopers. I feel that our country is moving backwards and that very much saddens me.
I lived through the turbuent decade of the 1960s. I saw the shooting of our then President John F. Kennedy. I saw the shooting of his brother Robert F. Kennedy that was running for president, and I saw the shooting of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a time that I never want to see America go back to.
Hate is a terrible thing. In this country we are seeing an uprising of the KKK, more exposure of the Nazi Party, and vocal White Supremacists. I feel that much of it is caused by the actions of our present president during his campaign and since he has become president.
Much has been caused lately by the removal of Confederate Statues. I do not believe that the Confederate or Nazi flags should be seen in public. We have one flag in this country and that is the Stars and Stripes. It is what our service men and women fight for and what they have been fighting for in World War I, World War II, The Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and in the Iraq and Afganistan Wars. People have lost their lives fighting for what they believe should be a democratic country.
Back to the removal of the Confederate Statues. I will probably get a lot of anger and disrespect for what I think, but I do not think that Confederate Statues should be removed. There was a terrible Civil War in America, but it is over and those statues are a part of American history. Our elders, our young adults, and our children should look at those statues and think of history, of the Civil War and realize that it was a bad time and both sides fought for what they believed in.
That war is over and it is time for White Supremacy and racism to end in America. It is time for the Confedrate and Nazi supporters to put their flags and their hatred into hiding and make America a better place for all of us.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
WORDS OF A FISH
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Monday, May 1, 2017
Child Suicide
I have been a writer of fiction for quite a few years now. I have barely made enough money to keep a bird alive for a day, actually I have lost money. However, I write because I love to tell stories and make people feel happy.
Last year I made somewhat of a turn in my writing and I wrote a fictional novella about school bullying titled, Out of the Darkness. It has received good reviews and I hope to get it schools where it will do the most good. After writing that novella I started to do much research online about school and cyber bullying. What ripped my heart out was reading of stories of children that were bullied so bad in school, online, or both that they committed suicide. No child should be bullied to that point and it truly is an epidemic that needs to be dealt with. I have come across several foundations that where started by the parents of a child that committed suicide. Those parents are reaching out to schools and parents, working to put a stop to bullying so that no other parent has to endure the pain that they have suffered.
I am now in the process of putting a book together of facts about bullying, educating parents and teachers of what to look for, telling parents what to do when the school does not protect their child from the bullying. Sadly I have read quite a few stories of schools that claim to have a no bullying policy, but seldom take the necessary action. Cyber bullying is now a major problem that parents have to be aware of. Whatever gets posted on social media is there for everyone to see. I recently read a story of a young girl that sent a nude photo to her boyfriend. That photo ended up being plastered all over the Internet. That child was then bullied in school and online, causing her to end her life. These stories are sad and hard to read, but parents need to see what can happen.
In my book I am hoping to include ten or twelve true stories of children that were bullied in school or online and then committed suicide. I am now trying to contact parents of those children. Writing those letters is honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. However, if I can get those stories in my book and end up saving the lives of some children then it is well worth the effort.
I live on Social Security and funds are getting tight. In the not to near future I will be opening a GoFundMe page in hopes of getting donations so I can afford to have this needed book published. I will need help to afford the book cover design, the publishing, and then I want to start a massive promotional push to get that next book recognized across America. I know it is a dream, but with the help of people that care I am sure it will be turned into reality.
If you see changes in your child's behavior then get to the bottom of it fast. Do not think that it is just something that is normal. Most often it is not. Children do not want to tell their parents that they are being bullied. They often feel ashamed to talk about it with anyone.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
Last year I made somewhat of a turn in my writing and I wrote a fictional novella about school bullying titled, Out of the Darkness. It has received good reviews and I hope to get it schools where it will do the most good. After writing that novella I started to do much research online about school and cyber bullying. What ripped my heart out was reading of stories of children that were bullied so bad in school, online, or both that they committed suicide. No child should be bullied to that point and it truly is an epidemic that needs to be dealt with. I have come across several foundations that where started by the parents of a child that committed suicide. Those parents are reaching out to schools and parents, working to put a stop to bullying so that no other parent has to endure the pain that they have suffered.
I am now in the process of putting a book together of facts about bullying, educating parents and teachers of what to look for, telling parents what to do when the school does not protect their child from the bullying. Sadly I have read quite a few stories of schools that claim to have a no bullying policy, but seldom take the necessary action. Cyber bullying is now a major problem that parents have to be aware of. Whatever gets posted on social media is there for everyone to see. I recently read a story of a young girl that sent a nude photo to her boyfriend. That photo ended up being plastered all over the Internet. That child was then bullied in school and online, causing her to end her life. These stories are sad and hard to read, but parents need to see what can happen.
In my book I am hoping to include ten or twelve true stories of children that were bullied in school or online and then committed suicide. I am now trying to contact parents of those children. Writing those letters is honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. However, if I can get those stories in my book and end up saving the lives of some children then it is well worth the effort.
I live on Social Security and funds are getting tight. In the not to near future I will be opening a GoFundMe page in hopes of getting donations so I can afford to have this needed book published. I will need help to afford the book cover design, the publishing, and then I want to start a massive promotional push to get that next book recognized across America. I know it is a dream, but with the help of people that care I am sure it will be turned into reality.
If you see changes in your child's behavior then get to the bottom of it fast. Do not think that it is just something that is normal. Most often it is not. Children do not want to tell their parents that they are being bullied. They often feel ashamed to talk about it with anyone.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
SCHOOL BULLYING
As many of you know I have been very concerned about school bullying. I have done a lot of reading on the subject, plus stories on school bullying I have seen on the TV news. It is a major problem that can not continue to be swept under the rug. I have been so concerned about school bullying that I wrote a novella titled, Out of the Darkness. I look at the side of the victim, the side of the bully, and an over the top solution to the problem. I hope that you all go to, amazon.com/author/larry_w_fish, and order your copy today. It is available in paperback or on kindle.
The following facts I got from the website, www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-bullying
1--Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.
2--Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.
3--17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester.
4--1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.
5--By age 14 less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk to their peers about bullying.
6--Over 67% of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.
7--71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school
8--90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.
9--1 in 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.
10--As boys age they are less and less likely to feel sympathy for victims of bullying. In fact they are more likely to add to the problem than solve it.
11--Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.
I have read stories lately about students that were bullied so much that they committed suicide. According to the CDC, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death between the ages of 10 and 14. It is sad to think that this is going on in the United States of America. Bullying is evil, there is no other way to describe it. One act of kindness will beat evil every time.
As students, parents, teachers, and concerned citizens you need to become involved. The children that are in school today are the future leaders of tomorrow. If bullying is not stopped when they are in school it will follow them to their adult lives.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
The following facts I got from the website, www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-bullying
1--Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.
2--Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.
3--17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester.
4--1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.
5--By age 14 less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk to their peers about bullying.
6--Over 67% of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.
7--71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school
8--90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.
9--1 in 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.
10--As boys age they are less and less likely to feel sympathy for victims of bullying. In fact they are more likely to add to the problem than solve it.
11--Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.
I have read stories lately about students that were bullied so much that they committed suicide. According to the CDC, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death between the ages of 10 and 14. It is sad to think that this is going on in the United States of America. Bullying is evil, there is no other way to describe it. One act of kindness will beat evil every time.
As students, parents, teachers, and concerned citizens you need to become involved. The children that are in school today are the future leaders of tomorrow. If bullying is not stopped when they are in school it will follow them to their adult lives.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
Saturday, January 28, 2017
DEATH
It was last summer that about 40 of my fellow classmates celebrated our 50 year high school reunion. It was a great time seeing everyone again. As we are all in our late 60s now, we have lost quite a few of our classmates. We had another classmate die yesterday. We all know that we will never live forever, no one has beat it yet. Out of a graduating class of 128 I know that about 15 have passed on. Naturally like, I am sure, our other classmates wonder when that day will come.
My father died young, age 59 from lung cancer from years of heavy smoking. My mother lived to be 92. She got dementia in the final months of her life. I was in the Philippines in the Air Force when my father died. I got home a couple of hours before the funeral. My mother moved into an apartment behind mine about four years before her death. It so sad to see a loved ones mind loose its function. Mom was good for someone of 90, but in the next two years she began to do things that at first I just thought it was old age. The last 6 months were real bad. I had to keep track of her medication, she would forget or take to much. Soon before her death I went back to her apartment one time and she was holding the phone in her hand. She was trying to turn the TV channel. It is sad to see, but a reality.
Mom spent a few days in the hospital and eventually 10 days in a nursing home. She gave up on life and refused to eat anything. I felt so helpless, knowing that there was nothing I could do. She had a living will, not to be kept alive if it looked like there was no hope. The day she died, was one of the worst days of my life.
I imagine you have all heard stories of people that have died and then wake up and say they saw the light. Also stories of people dying and looking down on themselves. It was in early 1995 that I was very ill. I had headaches that were extreme, so dizzy that I couldn't walk at all without falling down, terrible nose bleeds. For three months I went for every medical test under the sun and nothing was found. It was so frustrating.
I would lie in bed and it felt like my head was staying still but my body was moving back and forth. I was afraid to go to sleep because I thought I wouldn't wake up again. It was during that time when I was floating near the ceiling looking down on my body. I had died, I knew it. I felt strange, lifeless, motionless, pale. Was this the end? It seemed like forever that I was looking down on my body lying in bed. I knew it was only a couple of minutes, but I was dead. I then lowered and reentered my body. I could feel it like a jolt. I woke up and looked around. I was alive, I had an experience that I have heard and read about others having. I didn't see the light as some say. However, looking down on your own body is out of this world. God did not want me then, it wasn't my time.
That was 22 years go, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. I finally went to a chiropractor after 3 months of illness. Within two weeks I was feeling better. Medical science couldn't find out what was wrong with me, but it was the darkest time in my life. I have a lot of faith in chiropractors.
Life is a strange thing. What happens after we die? I believe in heaven and hell. I try to live my life like I would want others to live. I am far from perfect, there is no doubt about that. However, I care about other people. We are all going to die. Some like myself, get a second chance at life. After that dark time in my life I got a whole different outlook on life. Work and money used to be so important to me. After that time, family is now the most important thing in my life.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
My father died young, age 59 from lung cancer from years of heavy smoking. My mother lived to be 92. She got dementia in the final months of her life. I was in the Philippines in the Air Force when my father died. I got home a couple of hours before the funeral. My mother moved into an apartment behind mine about four years before her death. It so sad to see a loved ones mind loose its function. Mom was good for someone of 90, but in the next two years she began to do things that at first I just thought it was old age. The last 6 months were real bad. I had to keep track of her medication, she would forget or take to much. Soon before her death I went back to her apartment one time and she was holding the phone in her hand. She was trying to turn the TV channel. It is sad to see, but a reality.
Mom spent a few days in the hospital and eventually 10 days in a nursing home. She gave up on life and refused to eat anything. I felt so helpless, knowing that there was nothing I could do. She had a living will, not to be kept alive if it looked like there was no hope. The day she died, was one of the worst days of my life.
I imagine you have all heard stories of people that have died and then wake up and say they saw the light. Also stories of people dying and looking down on themselves. It was in early 1995 that I was very ill. I had headaches that were extreme, so dizzy that I couldn't walk at all without falling down, terrible nose bleeds. For three months I went for every medical test under the sun and nothing was found. It was so frustrating.
I would lie in bed and it felt like my head was staying still but my body was moving back and forth. I was afraid to go to sleep because I thought I wouldn't wake up again. It was during that time when I was floating near the ceiling looking down on my body. I had died, I knew it. I felt strange, lifeless, motionless, pale. Was this the end? It seemed like forever that I was looking down on my body lying in bed. I knew it was only a couple of minutes, but I was dead. I then lowered and reentered my body. I could feel it like a jolt. I woke up and looked around. I was alive, I had an experience that I have heard and read about others having. I didn't see the light as some say. However, looking down on your own body is out of this world. God did not want me then, it wasn't my time.
That was 22 years go, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. I finally went to a chiropractor after 3 months of illness. Within two weeks I was feeling better. Medical science couldn't find out what was wrong with me, but it was the darkest time in my life. I have a lot of faith in chiropractors.
Life is a strange thing. What happens after we die? I believe in heaven and hell. I try to live my life like I would want others to live. I am far from perfect, there is no doubt about that. However, I care about other people. We are all going to die. Some like myself, get a second chance at life. After that dark time in my life I got a whole different outlook on life. Work and money used to be so important to me. After that time, family is now the most important thing in my life.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
DON'T RUN IN THE HOUSE
I have written a book of true short stories of my youth that is not yet published but I want to share one of those stories with you now. How many times did your parents tell you not to run in the house? Well my brother and I heard it often, but boys will be boys.
DON’T RUN IN THE HOUSE
In
the corner of our living room, we always
had a stove that was about two feet away from the walls. First, we had a coal stove. It was replaced by
an oil burner and finally changed back to
a coal stove.
My mother was always fanatic about heat
and I believe if she kept it any hotter the skin would have melted from our
bodies. I do remember that our cocker spaniel used to lie in front of that
first coal stove.
I’m sure everyone has heard it and my
brother Jim and I heard it many times, “Don’t run in the house.” Boys will be boys as the saying goes. One day after school, while my father was at work and mom was
out somewhere, maybe shopping, I’m not sure. It was an afternoon of chasing
each other around the house.
On this particular day as I chased Jim, he
ran behind the stove when the unthinkable happened. Jim’s butt hit against the
sheet rock wall that had seen years of intense heat. The years of intense heat
had made the sheet rock soft and brittle. As Jim moved away it revealed the
perfect imprint of butt cheeks in the wall. I can still remember the look on
our faces.
We both knew that this wasn’t going to be
good when the parents got home. I don’t ever remember being spanked, but the
yelling still rings in my ears to this day. “How many times have we told you
not to run in the house?” They kept repeating it over and over. I don’t know
how many times we heard it, but I guess we should have heard it at least one
more time that day.
We would spend hours running around
outside, but that day for some reason we just started running around in the
house. It has been well over sixty years. When something like that happens and
you are a little boy you just know it’s going to be a bad day. Now well over sixty
years later my brother and I get a good laugh about it.
I remember years later when I had a little
boy and he came running into the kitchen telling us that water was running all over the floor. I ran after him and he
pointed to the hot water heater. He had opened up the valve for the drain but
when water started pouring out he ran to us rather than closing it. I sit here
writing this with a smile. My son, Tom, was the adventurous type when he was a
little boy. It just reminds me so much of myself.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2017
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