Sunday, December 16, 2007

Remember What It's All About

I just wanted to take a minute to remind people that life is so very fragile. That fact is being brought home to some kids in our area on a daily basis. It's a lesson that is hard to learn because teenagers think they are invincible. Believe me, they are not. Watch the news and see how many YOUNG kids are dying far too early. We aren't supposed to outlive our own children. That's not the way life is meant to work. Yet it seems that today life is cheap on so many levels. It has to end.

With that in mind-it's time for adults to step in and BE ADULTS.
Stop using your kids to fight with your exes, stop putting kids in the middle and stop the relentless self-indulgence and put your kids first. I am tired of hearing stories of mommy's new BMW paired with the stories of how sick kids aren't permitted to get sick because adults make the decision to buy gadgets rather than health insurance. (And yes, this is a true story....and sadly there are many more....) Stop being so self-centered, your kids are suffering.

For all of our arguing and dissension, the words we write or speak to someone today, may be the last words we speak to them at all. Try listening rather than planning the next words that come out of your mouth. Give up the witty repartee and the sarcastic riposte for meaningful conversation. Say things with conviction and follow through with your promises. And pay attention to other people. As my mother told me "you are not the bellybutton of the universe." With that in mind, be kinder, be gentler. Be cognizant that during this time of year, there are people who suffer in silence. A kind word, a giving gesture, a phone call for no reason, could make a difference. While we should consider these things every day, I think our lives have become so frantic with connectivity and gadgets, we sometimes forget what is truly important. Take a moment, reach out and make your little corner of the world just a little bit sweeter.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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2 comments:

Darren said...

Some recently graduated students from my school were involved in a car accident this past week. Last I heard, one was not expected to survive.

Only the driver and one of the passengers was wearing a seat belt.

And they were hit by a drunk driver.

Enough cliches in that true story?

Ellen K said...

We lost a kid that had been one of my former students to a drunk driver last week. The kid made a dangerous U-turn because his girlfriend's car had a flat and it was late at night. So he turned around to stay with her on a twisty two-lane road. The guy who hit him was drunk-and if the history of DWI in Texas is followed, he probably has a history of this type of action. I heard it said once that every year, in every high school, one kid will die on the average. To the wealthy helicopter parents in my community, it's got to be a shock to realize that even buying the best cars won't protect kids from the follies of their own youthful distractions. Very sad. Sadder still was the number of kids who clocked out for the funeral, but instead went and partied at someone's house. With parental permission, because nobody wants to admit that their kids skipped out.