June 6 – Pockets full of pennies and a purple balloon

Can you imagine how heavy that would be?  A pocket full of pennies.  One would sink.  Now a pocket full of sunshine or memories would be so much nicer.  Do you remember … the ‘Kodak’ moments.  What do we call them now?  The ‘digital’ moments?

I just spent some time answer questions to a student writing an essay on cyberbullying.  It certainly puts things more into your mind when you have to think about the effects of bullying.  And also the causes of it.  I just read an article where in Wisconsin, parents will be fined if their kids get caught bullying.  Now that is a new twist to the whole thing.  The comments from that article were of course diverse –  Wisconsin Town Fines Parents of  Bullies.  Is it about accountability?  Like everything else, things have to get worse before they get better.

I googled Amanda’s name tonight.  So many links come up.  Some good and lots bad.  It’s time to try it out and see how judicious the social media companies are in getting some of it off after a request from me.  I don’t see why it is so hard to get things off the internet from the companies who allow posts that are indecent or harassment.  If companies aren’t going to help get them off, then there should be built in filters to stop the material to be getting on.  Surely it can’t be that hard to design and lots of young system engineers and programmers would be able to do this.

The snowflake garden is growing wonderfully.  The snowflake tree (even so young) is blossoming with white snowflakes.  I am still waiting (impatiently) for the other flowers to blossom.  I do have some neat little solar lights in my garden now.  Waiting for the memorial stone to be made.  I have to wonder when the bench will be put in.  Soon I hope.  It’s those things that make me sad.  It’s good that there are plenty of memories of Amanda.  Sad that we have to do it.

On the 10th of this month and on subsequent months, please think of Amanda by releasing a balloon in her memory.  Amanda Todd Anti-Bullying/Youth Mental Health Awareness Balloon Release   She would love it to be a purple balloon as that was her favourite colour.  Just writing that triggered a memory of a story that everyone loves to hear.

Amanda loved her birthday parties.  She actually loved all parties.  And she loved balloons.  The ones you had to blow up.  We always had bags of them around from the dollar store.  I did buy one of those things to help blow up the balloons but they never really worked.  So when she got into balloon mood, out came the balloon and the  hot air.  We would just about pass out from trying to blow up all the balloons.  They were mostly blue and purple.  All different shades of them.  Imagine that sea of balloons on the floor.  But then came the ribbon.  When we blew up balloons, it was always wise to set aside lots of time.  Remember when you would rub the balloon against your head for static so they would stick to the wall.  Now when Amanda did that with all her hair, she really did look funny.  We would laugh at each other for a long time.  And then pelt each other with popcorn.

Tired from thinking …. have to be up early for the radio show interview on the east coast – Halifax.  I think it’s the Jordi Morgan show  7 a.m. PST.

Hugz …. xoxo

(blow up a few balloons for us PS)