A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM... (A Very Personal Story)

Martha and I are extremely fortunate to have seven wonderful grandchildren who teach us more and more about life, living, and the pursuit of happiness. (Wish I had been much wiser when raising their parents! But that's another story.) Two of our grandkids are five-year-old twin boys who attend public school kindergarten in a racially mixed class.

A few nights ago as their dad was lying down with them before bed, Ty asks, "Dad, Wanda (an African American child,not her real name) says black and white people don't like each other, is that true?" Kelly not knowing replies, "Is Wanda black?" Colby replies, "No." Then Kelly asks, "Are there any black kids in your class?" Ty,answers "No." Then thinking about it he says, "There are some brown ones but no black ones." Kelly smiles from ear to ear and says "good night" to his twin boys who've never been taught any form of racial prejudice. He goes downstairs and tells Leanne and they cherish the moment.

Leanne knows Wanda's mother who is a nurse in another school where Leanne does psychotherapy with troubled children. So, she decides to tell the story to Wanda's mother, who laughs just as much as Leanne, and then replies in this awesome manner. "Leanne, Wanda doesn't know she's black. We've never told her!"

Later that evening, Leanne decides to follow-up with the boys and asks, "Remember that conversation you had with dad about black, white, and brown kids in your class? They nod. "Are there any white kids in your class?" Both reply, "No." Then she says, "Are you white?" Both say, "No." "What color are you?" Colby, pulls up the sleeve on his shirt and replies, "Tan."

On my God in heaven may they never learn that they are white and may Wanda never learn that she's black. And better yet, may we learn from these five-year-olds that all prejudices are LEARNED and then remember that everything that is LEARNED CAN BE UNLEARNED. Please God, please.

2009 REPORT CARD

As you begin 2010 how would you grade your 2009 report card? From 1-10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, how would you grade yourself in the following areas and why?

Man/Woman_____

Son/Daughter_____

Husband/Wife_____

Father/Mother_____

Sibling_____

Grandfather/Grandmother_____

Career or whatever you call work_____

Overall rating regarding how you used your life in 2009_____

If you knew you only had a month to live, what would you try to do before you croaked?

If you died tonight, other than being dead!), what would be your greatest regret of 2009?

How would you like your epitaph to read?

Now that we’ve dealt with the 2009 Report Card and death issues, during the past year when did you FEEL the most alive?