15 February 2011

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This week's "Take This Tune" below was to be based on Red Dirt Girl by Emmylou Harris.  It is a story song about two girls, one who makes a series of bad decisions that eventually lead to her death after losing her brother and the other girl raised in equally poor circumstances but without the loss who makes her dreams come true.

Over and over throughout life I've seen young people seemingly in almost identical circumstances even within the same family rise or fall simply because of a single choice.  Looking in from the outside, it is almost impossible to know what is going on in their minds and hearts.  The best anyone can do is offer advice before an action or provide a life line to rescue them from a bad one so that it doesn't destroy their lives.

In our disjointed modern life where extended families are rare, teachers are overburdened, economics require parents to work long hours while curtailing social interaction outside the family, it is easy for a child to get lost in the shuffle.  Add in the incessant TV, music, and advertising sounds and images often with very negative messages and too many children are, in essence, raising themselves.  Maybe it is time for everyone to slow down and pay attention to the future.  

Without involved mentors, too many children are getting lost and time may be the greatest gift we can give them.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. Children are our message to the future... and they need both quantity time and quality time. Time to talk, time to breathe, and time to be children.

Hugs to you!

Travis Cody said...

In the absence of quantity, provide quality time. And remember to offer kind and encouraging words. When mistakes are made, discuss them.

That's the advice I'd offer to any new parent. My mom did it and I think it worked out pretty well.