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Kind words cure

Last night, the 2nd of June, which happened to be my birthday, Dee and I were asked to attend and give the invocation at a very special function hosted by The National Museum of Patriotism on Spring Street in Atlanta. The Museum is across the street from the Puppet Museum which, I understand, used to be a public school. If you know where the Varsity is (and if you don’t know where the Varsity is, you need to get out more), the National Museum of Patriotism on is the street that runs beside the Varsity. If you haven’t gone to this wonderful museum, you are missing many blessings. Classrooms, churches, and civic groups need to call and book a tour. You will see things there that I don’t believe are replicated anywhere. The number is 404-875-0691.

Nick Snider, the museum founder and director, is a wonderful man who has a vision for Atlanta and America, and has made that vision a reality. I could write volumes on this dynamic and historical man and museum, but our focus is on the “kind words” occasion last night.

Were you ever bullied or harassed by someone in your middle or high school? Was school a great learning and safe environment, or a horrific and fearful experience for you? Did you ever lay awake at night and say to yourself, “One day I’m going to get even with so in so for the pain he or she caused me”?

Did you see in the media not long ago where a student actually shot his bus driver? It is now part of the dark side of America’s history. We witnessed Columbine and the rage that was expressed by seemingly normal students who decided to get even with people who bullied them.

I can remember in my high school days as we moved around the world as a military family, how tough it was going to a new school and meeting new people over and over again. Fortunately, I am an extrovert and actually enjoyed the encounter, but relationships are two-way streets. One has to reach out and the other has to respond or there is no relationship. Most of all our military moves went fine and in a short time we were all in the saddle enjoying life, but I do remember one young punk in particular that I actually imagined his demise. Now my generation didn’t dream of getting a gun and hurting anyone as seems to be the case today, but I did dream of meeting him in behind a building and setting things right. My generation “called someone out” to “meet you after school.” Everyone knew what that meant. It meant you would both settle it once and for all. Someone would go home with a bruised ego and maybe a bloody lip but in most cases it settled it for good. In my case, I called this punk out to meet me, but he never showed up. His father was on the school board of a little town and his son was quite a discipline problem and a trouble maker. Every time he would get into trouble, his dad would take his side and bail him out.

It took me years to get over that person, and now as a Christian, I have seen it in my heart to even forgive him (but I still think he was a punk and should have met me after school). If I still wanted to settle it with him today, I would probably have to go to the state prison to find him.

Last night we witnessed a program for schools that is called the “Positive Label Program.” This amazing program was hosted by the museum, and narrated by Fayette County’s own Dr. Margaret Ross who is the President of the Kamaron Foundation and author of “Casey and the Amazing Giant Green Shirt.” Casey is this wonderful young student “character” with this oversized long shirt with all these sewn on positive labels like “special, smart, loved, brave, patriotic, fast and nice.” This is all the “good stuff” that should have been coming from home, school, church and the school bus.

I will not be able to do the program justice here but here are the highlights. This program is based all around several key ideas that many students today are not getting anywhere. The key ideas are “positive words and labels.” In this school program, she addresses the awesome power of words (labels for good or for harm.). They teach how to be a real friend and have real friends. They accentuate the positives in our lives. They focus on positive life skills and character qualities. They show how to break the name-calling cycle.

Did you ever have a continuing bad experience on your bus each day going to school? Many children arrive at school each day totally in fear and feel beaten down by their parents, homes or their school bus environment. Then they arrive at school and are expected to “sit up, shut up, and learn all day long.”

The marvelous program involves bus drivers, teachers, parents, facility, and community. It is a program that deals with countering all the negative imput many students get from their homes, school buses, and peers. There are tremendous pressures that these children, our children, experience every day at school.

I thank Almighty God for a program like this to alleviate the pain and daily suffering students may experience. If you would like more information on this program go to www.kamaron.org.

It is very interesting to me that my wife Dee has also been working in this same character education arena for the last ten years. Great minds often work on the same ideas from different perspectives. Keep up the good work all of you that care!

God bless you Margaret, Bill Ross, and The National Museum of Patriotism for making this happen. Our children deserve the very best.

(The church’s Web site is under construction and will be up and running shortly.)