WORDS OF A FIRST GRADER

"When the blind leadeth the blind... somebody's gonna get hurt!"

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?

From The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

“It’s hard to love somebody who sees the world as black and white, without also fearing them.”

“I know it doesn’t absolve anyone of anything, but the Kabul we lived in in those days was a strange world, one in which some things mattered more than the truth.”

“Sometimes, I think everything he did, feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself. And that, I believe, is what true redemption, is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good."

"Perspective was a luxury when your head was constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons.”

“I thought of a line I’d read somewhere, or maybe I’d heard someone say it: There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.”

Christmas: Light in the Midst of Darkness

When I was in naval aviator training, one of the tests for night vision was to put us in a room that was completely and totally dark. You could not see any movement by moving your hand in front of your eyes-- none. Never had been in complete and total darkness before or since. Then what seemed like a microscopic green light would appear somewhere in the room and then a red. Then the lights would appear at different spots. We had to push a button to indicate the direction of the light. Those who could not see the lights were taken out later for more testing. The amazing thing was how such a tiny light could make such a difference.

I've used this as a metaphor many times to illustrate what I think of God-- Light, Love, and Life is what I define as God-- He, She, or It.

If your life is filled with bright lights this Christmas, give thanks. If your life is surrounded by darkness this Christmas, I hope you find some light in the midst of the darkness which is what I think Christmas is all about.

CHRISTMAS QUOTES

Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal. Lenore Hershey

A good conscience is a continual Christmas. Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

A turkey never voted for an early Christmas. Irish Proverb

At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year. Thomas Tusser

Aren't we forgeting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa. Matt Groening (1954 - ), The Simpsons

At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth;
But like of each thing that in season grows.
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Love's Labour Lost

Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit. Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)

Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected. Jimmy Cannon

Dear Lord, I've been asked, nay commanded, to thank Thee for the Christmas turkey before us... a turkey which was no doubt a lively, intelligent bird... a social being... capable of actual affection... nuzzling its young with almost human- like compassion. Anyway, it's dead and we're gonna eat it. Please give our respects to its family... Berke Breathed, Bloom County Babylon

Ralph Waldo Emerson Said It...

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.