Written on December 19, 2024 between classes…
It’s Christmas time and for me that is a time to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and listen to CHRISTMAS music. It is also a time of reflection.
Being a 58 year old teacher (teaching since 1989), I now look at my scholars (students) and think, “what are you (scholars / students) going to be like 40 – 50 years from now? How are you going to change? Are you going to change for the better or worse? For those who have many demerits on AERIES or are mean / angry, can you change for the better before you are on your fourth marriage and sixth job / career change? On a larger scale, what is the world going to be like 40 – 50 years from now?
I also thank God that I am 58 years old and there is more sand at the bottom of the hourglass. Things that have happened in the last 58 years. Let alone the last 16 years for me? I don’t really want to know or live to know what the next 58 years are going. My goodness!
If you have children / responsible for helping “train” children, consider turning my questions into statements. “What are you going to be like 40 years from now?” We will change that to: 40 years from now actually starts today!! “How are you (scholars / students) going to change?” We change everyday. Our skin and hair changes. Humans really adapt more than they change. We were killing people when were created and now, we are killing even more!
Adults need to do a better job letting children know now the actions they take now will be the actions they take “tomorrow.” So, act good and right now = act good and right “tomorrow.”
Because too many adults have chosen to look away from scholars’ (students) bad behavior, I do feel for the scholars / students who are mean / angry. There seems to be a movement not to challenge them to change their attitude or behavior. Instead? Empathize for them. I get that and at the same time, them acting like jerks needs to stop! Because life is throwing up on you doesn’t give you permission to throw that vomit on your teachers / adults in your life! Teach these mean / angry scholars that not respecting the teacher / doing what you are told to do is a ‘mean’ or ‘angry’ act! Understand their actions truly impact others around them. More often than not, we receive what we give to others. We smile. They smile. We hurt them. What stops them from hurting us?
Bottom Line
I am glad that I have more behind me than ahead of me. Like the t-shirt says, “Heaven is my home. I am just stopping by.” I do hope the scholars (students) will quickly wise up and understand more times than not – they are responsible for how much success their life has / will have and how much their life will “suck.” Choices lead to consequences. There are no “have-to’s” The only thing we have to do is die. The dash between your birthdate and date of death is a symbol of all the choices you have med.
Merry Christmas. God Bless!!
The Dash Poem
by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years.
For that dash represents all the time that they spent life on Earth.
And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand the way other people feel.
Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?