Update from Apr. 28, 2005

Children are our hope for the future, and we are theirs.

My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general; if you become a monk, you’ll end up as the pope.” Instead, I became a painter, and wound up Picasso. Pablo Picasso

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pine

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there.
The clay they used was a young child’s mind
And they fashioned it with care.
One a parent with a guiding hand
And a gentle loving heart.
One a music teacher—the tools he used were
Instruments and Music and Art.
Day after day the teacher toiled
With a touch that was deft and sure.
While the parent labored by his side
And polished and smoothed it pure.
And when at last their task was done
They were proud of what they’d wrought
For the things they had molded into the child
Could neither be sold nor bought.
And each agreed he would have failed
If he had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school
And behind the teacher stood the home.
Author Unknown

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
“Yeah, sure, what is it?” replied the man.
“Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?”
“That’s none of your business. What makes you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.
“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” pleaded the little boy.
“If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I borrow $10 please?”
The father was furious. “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you’re being so selfish. I work long hard hours every day and don’t have time for such childish games.”
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy’s questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money. After an hour or so, the man calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that ten dollars and he really didn’t ask for money very often.
The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door. “Are you asleep son?” he asked.
“No Daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.
“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here’s that ten dollars you asked for.”
The little boy sat straight up, beaming. “Oh, thank you Daddy” he yelled. Then reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man.
“Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the father grumbled.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have twenty-dollars now. Can I buy an hour of your time?”

One of the greatest gifts we can give anyone is a portion of our time. This is especially true with children and other family members. Please give someone you love a special gift of time while you still can and while they still want it.
Peace!