A Simple Love Story between Me and Myself is the story of Mel, a person who struggles through life with gender dysphoria but eventually finds her peace with herself. The story gives hope to those who are struggling within themselves while simultaneously bringing insight to those who do not understand how difficult this personal struggle can be. Having experienced this struggle first hand, Melisa Mel had no trouble choosing the main character for this story. It is the story of herself and the years it took for her to come to terms with being a woman while all the time feeling she should have been a man. One of Melisa Mels favorite quotes is Be who you be. Her brother, Keith Gabriel, said this to her many years ago and the words have come to mean a lot to this author. She has quoted him various times in her publications, including this one. Melisa Mel feels that there is no reason that we cannot ALL Be who we be. She states, There is ample room for everyone and everything on this lovely planet we all share. How we share the space is up to each and every one of us. There is no reason we cant make it work peacefully if we choose to do so. This story is appropriate for all ages and all peoples. Enjoy!
Think Outside the Gate is a book dedicated to all those who work or live in any type of incarceration environment. It contains a compilation of lesson plans and presentation outlines which can be used as an example of how one can turn any type of lesson into a think outside the gate experience. The think outside the gate mind-set is a philosophy that Melisa Mel created as the focal point of her lessons and presentations. This approach makes it a priority to keep the students focus on everything and anything outside of their limited, incarcerating walls. This not only instills hope in them, but it also better prepares them for when they cross the prison gates to go live back in society. Melisa Mel feels that better preparing for reentry into society is the most efficient way to ensure a persons success outside of prison so that they do not return to prison. Her hope is that while working or living behind bars, a think outside the gate mind-set is present at all times, as that will tackle recidivism at its very core.
Melisa Mel's continuing adventures volunteering with vulnerable populations are narrated here. Victims and Survivors 2 is as emotionally enlightening about human nature as Victims and Survivors was when she published it last year. Clearly, there is much work to be done in the city streets. This author is willing and prepared to do it. Melisa Mel has spent endless hours reaching out to those who felt trampled, violated, and dehumanized. By using her time and energy, she worked toward her goal of supporting and giving a ray of hope to those she encountered. She plans to continue using her free time volunteering to the highest degree possible on her limited free time. Her stories are recorded here so that we can all get a glimpse of what life is like for many of those in our society. There is much work to be done. Human trafficking and sex trafficking are very real and very present in our society. There is much need for those who are strong and have empathy to go out and advocate for those who are not yet strong enough to do so for themselves. Together, a shift in thinking and a major change can occur.
This program is designed for those who are extremely limited in motion due to physical and/or cognitive capabilities. It was created in honor of the author's students who needed such a program. Whenever the author would incorporate into an adaptive Physical Education class with her students, she would find that her students would simply sit around on the sidelines, or crawl/butt school/run/walk around the gym without being able to participate. Upon speaking with a friend who worked in a geriatric center where participants had severe limitations as well, Melisa Mel realized that the program which she had created and been using in her classroom for years could be helpful to others. This inspired her to move forth on publishing her work. She hopes those who work with special populations will find this to be a helpful tool in their daily programming and the participants will find it beneficial and fun.
The Fabric Store is a book with a very basic and simple business lesson in it. For any business venture to be successful, funds must come in to include profit and cover the costs of running the business. If one is putting much time, money, and heart into the business venture and it is simply not bringing in sufficient funds, one has to make some very tough decisions. Sometimes, those decisions can be painful ones. The lesson in The Fabric Store can be tied into any venture in lifeeven those that are not business-related. These ventures can include relationships, hobbies, and any other aspect in life. If one is putting much time, money, and heart into something or someone yet they are not getting anything out of it, it is time to make a change. When one gives and gives and gives but does not receive in return (whether financially or emotionally), emptiness or burnout or both are inevitable. Through the eyes of the owner of the fabric store, the reader can see an entrepreneurs dream come trueof opening up a fabric storeand then the progression of how that business venture goes. The storyline carries a wise lesson to remember in business and in life. This book was inspired by M. Nieves Sanz Bribian, written by author Melisa Mel, and illustrated by artist Kendall Austin Pardo.
At a time when most women my age are planning for retirement and maybe taking up hobbies that are a little less aggressive, I decided to go into law enforcement. Okay . . . . so doing what is expected of me is not my pattern of life. I enjoy adventures and the more impossible that they seem, the harder I will tackle them. Basically, it boiled down to the fact that years before, I had missed my window of opportunity to join the military. I had been a military brat and so joining the service would have been my wish but I had been a young mother and had to start work at a young age. I would never change the life I had with my four wonderful children. However now I was 42 years old and they were all grown up. I had just found out, through a turn of events, that there was no age limit for joining the police department. As long as one could keep up with the physical and academic requirements, then they were welcome to join. Additionally, I had felt that I was living on borrowed time since I was 15 years old when Id come as close to facing the vulnerability of being human as one can do without passing over to the non-living side. Soon after surviving, I had to face my own decision of moving on or finishing myself off. I made a choice and it was to live and to be happy. I wanted my days to count. I wanted to serve others who had gone through similar experiences. I wanted to lead a life with my head up. At the time that I applied for the academy, I was a special education teacher working with young adults who had aggressive and severe disabilities. I was running an after school Gay, Straight Alliance diversity club and was a mentor to many students. I had devoted all my life to children and youth. I had been a troubled child for a variety of reasons. I knew the pains that could come with childhoodmany pains to which children should never have to be exposed. I had always felt that I had to give back and try to be there for kids and others who could not speak up for themselves. Doing this was a priority to me. In addition to my full time teaching job with my school district, I was volunteering in a couple of capacities with the local Police department. I had first become a Victim Services Volunteer with them. Victim Services Volunteers are called at any time of day or night to go out and provide assistance to those who have been pa g e | 14 Me l i s a Me l victimized in some way. I never knew to what kind of call I would be going. It could be anything from a family member who had woken up to find their loved one had died during the night, a parent whose young adult child had overdosed on drugs, or a family whose home had burnt down. Regardless of the situation, the victim or victims needed support and resources. As a supplement to our 32 hour training, it was suggested that we do ride-alongs. I had never heard of a ride-along. A ride-along is literally when you ride along with an officer to get a taste of what it is like to be out on patrol. You have to sign a waiver indicating that you understand that there is a certain amount of danger involved but that you do not hold the police department responsible. For a mix of reasons, I was rather nervous about riding along in a police car with an officer. What made me most uncomfortable was the thought that I would have to sit in close proximity with a stranger. I did not even know if we could talk as I did not know if it was allowed. I feared it might distract the officers from their duties. Ever so much into training and wanting to learn all that I could about my new position, I scheduled a ride-along. I figured that just like with everything else in life, I would get the hang of it once I was there. I am very straightforward and like things to be clearly understood. I would have no problem simply asking the officer what was and was not ok. The officer with whom I was assigned to ride-along with was Officer Gabriel. I started out our ride-a
The concept of Mels Circle Time! Mels Oval Time developed quite naturally in response to a need that presented itself quickly in my classroom. Afternoons were hard for the students. The school hours were long for them. It seemed that every afternoon, my staff and I would have to work particularly hard to keep the students engaged and maintain them focused on school activities. One day, I found myself reflecting on how well our Circle Time worked in the mornings. We would sit in a circle around our activity flip-card stand and share activities that seemed to motivate and focus the students for the school day ahead. The students would all be engaged in learning at the same time. Our Circle Time took place daily in the mornings immediately after breakfast when the students needed to have their mind-set put into school mode. The more I reflected on the success of our morning Circle Time with the students, the more sense it made to have a similar activity in the afternoons after lunch and recess. This was when the students, once again, needed to regroup and get back into a "school mode" to finish out their day. I decided, "Why not"? I would create an afternoon set of activity flip cards similar but different to our morning Circle Time activity flip cards. I got busy brainstorming, researching, planning, visualizing, adapting, and finally creating the activities that would make up and form our afternoon version of Circle Time. When I had finished cutting up shapes, magazines, wrapping paper, and placing stickers, chenille stems, Velcro, and foam shapes, we not only had our "Circle Time," but we now had our "Oval Time" as well. I was excited! I could not wait to try it out with my staff and students. I could only hope that they would be half as excited as I was or that it would go half as well as I hoped it would . . .
The concept of Mels Circle Time! Mels Oval Time developed quite naturally in response to a need that presented itself quickly in my classroom. Afternoons were hard for the students. The school hours were long for them. It seemed that every afternoon, my staff and I would have to work particularly hard to keep the students engaged and maintain them focused on school activities. One day, I found myself reflecting on how well our Circle Time worked in the mornings. We would sit in a circle around our activity flip-card stand and share activities that seemed to motivate and focus the students for the school day ahead. The students would all be engaged in learning at the same time. Our Circle Time took place daily in the mornings immediately after breakfast when the students needed to have their mind-set put into school mode. The more I reflected on the success of our morning Circle Time with the students, the more sense it made to have a similar activity in the afternoons after lunch and recess. This was when the students, once again, needed to regroup and get back into a "school mode" to finish out their day. I decided, "Why not"? I would create an afternoon set of activity flip cards similar but different to our morning Circle Time activity flip cards. I got busy brainstorming, researching, planning, visualizing, adapting, and finally creating the activities that would make up and form our afternoon version of Circle Time. When I had finished cutting up shapes, magazines, wrapping paper, and placing stickers, chenille stems, Velcro, and foam shapes, we not only had our "Circle Time," but we now had our "Oval Time" as well. I was excited! I could not wait to try it out with my staff and students. I could only hope that they would be half as excited as I was or that it would go half as well as I hoped it would . . .
This program is designed for those who are extremely limited in motion due to physical and/or cognitive capabilities. It was created in honor of the author's students who needed such a program. Whenever the author would incorporate into an adaptive Physical Education class with her students, she would find that her students would simply sit around on the sidelines, or crawl/butt school/run/walk around the gym without being able to participate. Upon speaking with a friend who worked in a geriatric center where participants had severe limitations as well, Melisa Mel realized that the program which she had created and been using in her classroom for years could be helpful to others. This inspired her to move forth on publishing her work. She hopes those who work with special populations will find this to be a helpful tool in their daily programming and the participants will find it beneficial and fun.
The Elephant and the Gnat is a book upon which to ponder. While the pictures and verbiage are simple in nature, the depth of discussion can be endless. The characters will lead one on a search for wisdom and meaning where there are no right or wrong answers. The reader can relate different emotions and perspectives to each and every page. The readers must find their own truths and realities on each page. This book was inspired by Robert David Dauzat; written by his daughter, author Melisa Mel; and illustrated by his grandson, artist Kendall Austin Pardo. Enjoy your search. Enjoy your findings.
The passing of same-sex marriage in the USA by the Supreme Court in 2015 was pivotal in bringing about awareness of diversity in the family structure. Society now faces the challenge of transitioning their perception from traditional family models to what our modern family models look like today. We need tools to educate people on diversity while simultaneously aiming to open minds and hearts. A Simple Love Story Between a Boy and a Boy narrates the endearing love story between Gabe and Mario. As a loving couple, they lived together secretly through the Dont ask. Dont tell. military times and then lived together openly after this was repealed in 2011. They lived together as a married couple through the times when same-sex marriage was banned and then lived together as a married couple after 2015 when the Supreme Court passed the new laws allowing same-sex marriage. Together they bravely faced the challenges of going through the process of adopting their children as a gay couple. Both characters give us a glimpse into how many struggles there are in same-sex relationships and how much harder those couples have to work to find acceptance in a close-minded society. The story unfolds in a simple manner and covers basic historical LGBT related facts. Its simplicity reflects in its verbiage and its illustrations. The story is appropriate for all ages and all peoples. Parents and educators will find it extremely child friendly and enlightening.
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