Guest Blogger - My 8 Year Old Daughter Lucy

Lucy was required to write an essay for a contest through school. They had 3 quotes to choose from and they had to write their impression/interpretation of it. She did a fantastic rough draft and then I helped her edit. I corrected spelling and some punctuation (never my strong suit) and changed a few awkward phrases but that's it. I loved the outcome so here it is:

Looking In The Mirror
Lucy 3rd Grade

“What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
Confucius, Chinese Philosopher

This will sound funny but sometimes I like to look at myself in the mirror when I am crying. My mama tells me that is a funny thing about me but that she did the same thing when she was a younger girl. I cannot figure out exactly why I do it but I think it is about seeing what I look like when I am sad. I don’t like what I see in that mirror. My face is frowning and has red spots all over it. My nose is running and there are tears on my cheeks. It’s not pretty.

The other day my sister and I had a fight and we both said some mean things. I heard my sister crying and I thought about my face in the mirror. I guess her face looked like mine except for she has lighter hair than me and her eyes are a different color. But I bet she had red spots and tears and snot just like I did. Then I felt sad too. It was a worse feeling than a regular sadness because now I felt sad for making someone else feel sad. My mama called it a “double whammy”. I don’t really know what that means but it is bad news.

At first, when I read what Confucius said, I started thinking of a lot of things I don’t like that other people do. I didn’t really like thinking about those things so instead I sat down and wrote a long list of things my family and friends do that make me feel loved and happy. Things like spending time with me, helping me, playing outside and making my favorite dessert. All of those things remind me how much people care about me. After I was finished with the list I looked at it for a little while and I decided that Confucius only sort of got it right. We shouldn’t do things to people that we don’t want them to do to us, that is right and good. But I think an even better thing is that we should do things for other people that we would like them to do for us. I asked my mama about it and she said that was called the Golden Rule, to treat others the way you want them to treat you. To be honest I don’t like rules all that much but this one seems like a good one.

I took my list and put it somewhere special so I can look at it and remember to treat people in kind and respectful ways. I hope that I can spend more time looking in the mirror to smile from now on. Because my daddy tells me I have the most beautiful smile in the whole world.

My Dreams

On this day set aside to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I have been ruminating on his famous I Have A Dream speech. At a brief 17 minutes this speech has become a battle cry for generations of Americans who are deeply invested in the ideals of equality for ALL people regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or economic status. My thoughts have swirled around for a week or so and what follows are some of my dreams. Dreams for my children, dreams for my community, dreams for my country and dreams for this great big ball we all live on. Thanks Dr. King...you are still a hero, an inspiration and a beacon urging us ever onward.

I dream that my children will be allowed to grow up to be whoever they want to be. That no one and nothing will dictate who they are. That they will be strong enough to not bend to society's pressure and yet flexible enough to enjoy this amazing world. I dream that they will find love - a love that will make them better and stronger. That they will be safe from the dangers that do exist in the world today and that they will grow into people who care for others and stand for justice.

I dream that a certain discontentment will grow among people in America. Discontentment with the status quo - with the way it's always been done. That a strong generation of peace loving, tolerant, compassionate leaders will rise up and be heard. I dream that the current political process will be redeemed and that the voices of ALL people will be heard. Where your representation doesn't depend on your bank account or zip code - but rather rests on the fact that you are a citizen of the USA and that you matter. I dream that people everywhere will recognize that their vote counts and take part in the process - we need you.

I dream of a nation where people are valued, where love is respected and where justice is served. Where everyone has access to excellent health care and education. I dream that one day marriage won't be one more way to discriminate against gays. That guns won't be so easily accessible and people won't feel like they need them. That the color of your skin doesn't dictate the length of your jail term and that the words equal opportunity are more than ink on a page.

I dream that the earth will be cared for like the precious gift that it is. That worldwide we would allocate resources dedicated to stopping and reversing the devastating impact mankind has had on this planet. That we would not cling so tightly to the things that make our lives convenient and yet are slowly eroding the very ground we walk on. I dream that people all over would take seriously the very simple steps they can take to reduce their impact on the earth...reduce, reuse, recycle.

I dream of a world where no one is marginalized. Where no one lives on less than (the equivalent of) $1 a day. Where no child has to grow up playing in or near raw sewage and where everyone would have access to clean drinking water. I dream of a world where no country throws away more food than another country even produces...where no one goes to bed without food. Where peace isn't the goal but the reality. Where tolerance is second nature - where all people respect one another and their differences.

I dream this dream for my children - for our future - for myself and for everyone who can't dream for themselves.

Telephone Pole Wisdom

I love reading fliers on telephone poles. Recently there were fliers plastered all over my neighborhood about Rufus, a cat that had gone missing. A few days later there were more fliers expressing gratitude because Rufus had been found! The gratitude was short lived. Within 10 days there was yet a third set of fliers saying Rufus (apparently the Houdini of cats) had disappeared again. I haven't heard anything more about the little guy...so either he is still lost or his owners have maxed out their xerox budget for the year.

One evening as I was walking I noticed all of the staples on the telephone poles. It was amazing...literally thousands of staples all over the pole. I found myself wondering about all of the signs that must have decorated the pole and all of the people who put them there. Signs no doubt for missing animals, yard sales, no parking, and Penelope's baby shower. Signposts that lead us somewhere, give us direction, seek to find what is lost and on and on. Little pieces of life stuck to a wooden tower.

So the signs get ripped down to make room for new ones, but the staples remain. A little scrap of metal left to testify that Rufus was lost, found and lost again. That 65 Elm street had a "monster" yard sale with "baby items, furniture and knick knacks". That the police department says you cannot park here from midnight until noon for the community day parade. Little bits of metal that represent people's lives - left on that pole for how long? Who knows?

I wonder what sort of marks are left on my life by events and people? Of course some are quite obvious but others not so much. What sorts of things shape us and give texture to our person? Marks that transform us from a smooth wooden tower into a monument to humanity. Little bits of people and experiences that hang on after the people are gone and the experiences are over.

What are those things in your life?