Perspectives

The events of last Friday are fresh in our minds and the horror of it all is not lost on this teacher. First graders and their teachers lost their lives in the murderous rage of a mentally ill young man. It's frightening for all of us. It's frightening because it drives home the fact that safety is in some respects a fleeting illusion.

Make no mistake--we do the best we can at FBS to ensure the safety of our children and our staff. Our doors are always locked and to gain entrance to the building requires a key or someone in the office granting admittance remotely. Is that fail safe? No, but it makes us all feel a bit safer. Make no mistake--the teachers and staff at FBS, like educators everywhere, love our students and would give our lives to protect and preserve theirs.

What can we do? Well, for starters we can be thankful at this Christmas season that God sent His Son to earth. We can be thankful and full of awe that God sacrificed that Son so that we might have eternal life in Him. We can and we should pray for the families of those who lost loved ones, including the family of the shooter.

We can also focus in on mental illness and not sweep it under the rug. It's a very real issue in our society and not one that we like to discuss. It suggests weakness. It suggests that parents or others have done something wrong. The truth of the matter is that mental illness is just that--an illness. Instead of a sore throat or a fever or chronic pain or whatever the person has an illness in his/her mind. We should be supportive of people and families who deal with this on a daily basis. We should pray for them and encourage them to seek the professional care that is needed.

As we close out this year and look back on the year that was, we see many signs of evil in our world. But we also see many evidences of the love of God and His mercy and grace. As we face a new year, let's focus on the positives and what we can do to make our world a better place to live. And let's pray without ceasing.

A Day of Remembrance

December 7, 1941-- "a date which shall live in infamy". That was 71 years ago! But it was indeed a date that has lived on in the memories of those who were there and in the minds of those of us who have merely heard and read about it. Just as some of us recall where we were the day the JFK was shot, or when the Challenger space shuttle came crashing down, or the events of September 11, 2001. The lives of an entire generation were changed on that day. Indeed, the world as it was known was changed on that day. What arose out of the ashes of Pearl Harbor was what has come to be known as "the Greatest Generation". Those are people who sacrificed their youth and sometimes their lives to ensure that the American way of life endured.

My junior high students and I had the privilege of hearing Mr. Horace Hamilton speak. Mr. Hamilton was a 17 year old Navy gunner's mate stationed aboard the U.S.S. Phoenix. He witnessed the Japanese attack. He fought to protect his ship, his friends, his way of life, his country. He gave over 4 years of his youth to the service and defense of our nation. Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. Thank you for sharing your experiences with my students and others. God bless you and God bless America.