I am new at asking for money. I am asking for help to publish these sayings and discussion topics in MY STEPS JOURNAL: Character and Leadership, One Step at a Time. It is a book of wisdom that is expanded from my days in the classroom. It is intended for families, individuals, and for use in classrooms.

We often hear that grandparents hand down their wisdom to the next generations. Attached is my class picture from a couple of generations ago. We had no bullying, no stealing, and no disrespect. People may say that times have changed, but I say that perhaps the lessons we teach or do not teach children have changed. Before I get too old (!) , I want to share some of that wisdom of the past. I am 83 years old, a former teacher whose classes in the inner city were known for their kindness, obedience, respect, and hard work. Every day for "Morning Boardwork," I would write a saying for the students to copy and for the class to discuss. Those streetwise students developed the qualities that my classmates had in the 1940s and 1950s. We must not fail this current or future generation.

Here are two examples of the journal entries. I couldn't upload the illustration, but each saying is on its own page and has a cartoon or photo to add interest to the message.

23. Drugs destroy dreams. Drugs lie. Drugs change the brain.

~ No one has ever had their lives destroyed because they did not use illegal drugs.

~ Drugs make users feel as though everything is fine while they kill hopes and dreams, destroying lives and futures.

~ Sadly, millions of lives are destroyed on the “chemical” path.

Discussion question: By chance, this girl on drugs [in the illustration] gets one “magical” gift to start her life over from the moment someone offered her illegal drugs, or she tried them for the first time. Give advice to her.

63. Words are not funny when they are used as throwaway weapons to hurt another by mocking, ridiculing, or lying and then to say, “Just joking.”

"Don't deceive yourself; laughing at someone's weakness is not the way to reveal your strength. Your strength is in the help you offer, not the mockeries you deliver." -I. Ayivor, Daily Drive 365

Discussion question: Why do some people mock another person and say, “I was only joking?”

My husband (age 80), who has beaten cancer twice—thanks be to God—is still working to pay the bills. We are raising our amazing 14-year-old granddaughter, who is keeping us young and who exemplifies the lessons in the journal. Our adult children are helping without grumbling or complaining, but I want to do this project without adding to their financial burdens. The journal is like "Grandma's Toolkit of Wisdom," to open and use as needed. When it gets published on Amazon, hopefully it will sell, and profits from the journal sales will help not only the readers but also provide extra needed income for us.

I would like to follow my own advice of never giving up and to "climb my mountain of challenges." I would like to pay for my journal's publication without adding to the family expenses.

When I was a child, I learned to write using a pen by dipping the pen point into the ink in the inkwell on the desk. Technology has advanced, and while I am comfortable using the Internet and Word, I need help with the publication on Amazon.

Recently, however, via an online search, I found a young man who offered to format the journal for Amazon e-books/Kindle and print for $495. I am requesting $495.00 to pay for the deluxe package for him to do the work I cannot do, which includes the following:

I know there are many great needs on GoFundMe. However, I would hope that by my publishing My Steps Journal, there will be others like my inner-city students and my granddaughter who can have access and be able to use these words of wisdom of the past to better their lives and the lives of others. I am truly grateful for your consideration to make a small contribution to wards the completion of this project.

Thank you, and God bless you!

Gratefully,

Pat Doran, M.Ed.

P.S. I have two other books on Amazon: Pat Doran's Phonics Steps to Reading Success: A Fast-Paced Word-Attack System for Developing and Improving Reading and Spelling Skills and Honor Roll Illiterate: Dyslexia, School Failures, and Phonics Successes, autobiographical accounts exposing the failures in education, both manufactured and incidental, and how others and I were able to correct them.

For these two books, I sought the assistance of a company, but it seems they charged me—and other unsuspecting novice authors—an exorbitant fee. Although I have learned from this mistake, I am still in the process of paying off several thousand dollars in credit card charges they billed me.