It Was Just a High School Assembly

It Was Just a High School Assembly

Written by Dr. John L. Lund

The event was similar to what we could find at a typical high school in Southern California on a Friday for an assembly. There was a big game that night between rival schools and a dance was to take place afterwards. The bleachers in the gym were filled with nearly three thousand students. Excited to be out of their classes and with their friends, there were three thousand voices all abuzz about everything from the upcoming game to who broke up with who and what would be the appropriate attire for the evening. My daughter was a senior and one of the three thousand voices. She had brought home an announcement that the assembly speaker would be addressing the topic of "Overcoming Adversity." Uninvited and yet welcomed, I asked for and received permission from the principal to attend the lecture.

The noise from the student body was deafening and a determined vice-principal finally brought the crowd under control and yet there was a persistent din in the background. I quickly moved as close to the speaker's podium as possible in order to hear. What I expected was a polished presenter who would be dressed for success, someone filled with wit and wisdom, someone who had overcome drugs or alcohol and now was a role model at the top of his or her field of employment. What followed was a life changing moment.

Standing in front of the entire student body was a woman in her mid-forties. She was blind and flanked by her two daughters. She told the most horrific story of being stocked, sexually violated, stabbed and left for dead. Her details were so graphic that one could hear a pin drop as she told of how this vile man wrapped her in a shower curtain to dispose of her body. She was not dead as he had supposed. She groaned unconsciously as he tried to put her body in the trunk of his car. He immediately reached for a gun and placed it at the side of her head. The bullet removed her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

The gun shot brought a startled neighbor and the man fled. He was eventually apprehended by the police and served seven years in prison and is now back in society. The woman's husband divorced her and abandoned this woman and the two girls that sat behind their mother on the stage. She spoke of her long and painful facial operations and her recuperation. She related her experience of learning brail and going to college and eventually graduating. She bore testimony that every student in that gymnasium could overcome whatever adversity that life might place in their pathway and stood as a living witness.

When she finished, she invited the students to ask her any question that they would like. A special microphone had been set up for that opportunity. Two hundred or more students lined up. Most left the line when the first question was asked as they all had the same question. "How much time do you spend thinking about the man that did these terrible things to you and the fact that he is free to be in our society?"

She said, "I get that question everywhere I lecture. I will have to live with the consequences of what he did to me and I will be blind for the rest of my life, but I refuse to be a victim of self pity and neither should you. All of you will become the victim of the selfishness of others. You cannot choose how others may treat you but you can always choose how you are going to respond. Let me tell you that I have done the worst thing that any human being could ever do to that man. I have forgiven him and turned him over to God. He has had all of me that he is ever going to have. And I am not going to give him my todays, and I am not going to give him my tomorrows!!!.

There was a stunned moment of silence followed by every student jumping up and applauding this woman. There was an intrinsic truth in what she had said and we all knew it. It was just a high school assembly, but I left pondering this question, "How many of my todays and my tomorrows do I want to give to my yesterdays?"

Humorous = A Man's Wedding Night Adventure

Explanation of God

The following was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista , CA . He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment, to "explain God". I wonder if any of us could have done as well?

EXPLANATION OF GOD:


"One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.
 

Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista . At least there aren't any who come to our church.
 

 Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But He was good and kind, like his Father, and he told his Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said, 'O.K.'
 

 His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all his hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.
 

You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time. You should always go to church on Sunday, because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God! Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.
 

 If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.
 

 But... you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.
 

And... that's why I believe in God."

Bendy girl does snake dance (Janik & Arnaut)

ARE YU KATHLICK ? ? ? ?

THREE LITTLE BOYS were concerned because they couldn't get anyone to play with them. They decided it was because they had not been baptized and didn't go to Sunday school.

So they went to the nearest church.. But, only the janitor was there.

One little boy said, "We need to be baptized because no one will come out and play with us.

Will you baptize us?"

Sure," said the janitor.

He took them into the bathroom and dunked their little heads in the toilet bowl, one at a time.

Then he said, "You are now baptized!"

When they got outside, one of them asked, "'What religion do you think we are?"

The oldest one said, "We're not Kathlick, because they pour the water on you."

"We're not Babtis , because they dunk all of you in the water."

"We're not Methdiss , because they just sprinkle water on you."

The littlest one said, "Didn't you smell that water?

They all joined in asking, 'Yeah! What do you think that means?'

"I think it means we're Pisskopailians!"

Have a good week, everyone.  Share your smile with at least 7 people today.

Author: Anonymous

 

Paulo Coelho - Closing Cycles

Move that Mattress

Background:  Before reading the following, please consider that the victim in this story pulls pranks on friends and family all the time.  I am sure that he will get even somehow.  He is not married at this time and really is "kind of a slob" - according to his sister.  I just say, "Meh...Men will be men."

Adventure: My good friend Kimberly and I have been known to go on a few "side field trips" as we call them.  We are both school teachers in our area, and we are happy to say that we have never quite grown up.  Since school is starting next week, we are fully aware that we need an adventure or two before the rigor and relevance of the classroom sets in.  I give her a call and she is more than happy to pick me up in her Yukon Denali to see if we can find adventure in our small town.  It isn't more than thirty to forty-five seconds until we have our adventure outlined.

As we are driving around the block beyond my home, we notice a very wet (it has rained on and off all day) mattress lying next in the curb in front of Kimberly's brother's house.  Both of us comment that the mattress has been there for almost two weeks.  Kimberly comments, "Man, why does my brother have to be such a redneck.  He parks his cars on his front lawn and now he is letting that mattress sit there in the road because the trash pick-up won't haul it off.  Why can't he just put it into the back of his truck and haul it himself?"

Then the idea hits and we both laugh.  I even laugh harder when I think about including another friend, (one whose name I can't mention because of the prominence she has in the community,) to witness our endeavors.  I laugh so hard when I think about her getting a kick out of our antics that I get some soda up my nose.  LOL

Kimberly drives to WalMart.  We enter the Martz, purchase our adventure material and leave.  We call our prominent friend who is stressed out and busily prepping for next week.  We tell her, "Hey, this will only take ten minutes and you won't be seen.  You can sit in the back of the Denali behind black tinted windows and observe."  She relents (she really needs a break) and climbs in the back seat of the vehicle.  She doesn't really know what we are going to do.

We park next to Kimberly's brother's house, get our ammo and walk to the curb to try and maneuver the mattress that is lying flat on the ground to where it can be seen.  It is extremely heavy because of the rains and rain water it has soaked throughout the day.  We manage to tip over an empty trash can that is next to it and slowly, with trial and lots of error, muscle the wet monster over the can, but our work will not be totally seen.  Kimberly sneaks around the side of her brother's house and takes two 2x4 lumber pieces and brings them around by the mattress.  We form a criss-cross with them behind the mattress which then stands up in full view of the motorists passing by.  Taking red spray paint ammo from WalMart, we spray the words...

"Woman Wanted."

Our friend, bravely gets out of the Denali and takes our picture.  During this time, Kimberly's brother has been in his house.  His two dogs are barking like crazy and he, without even looking in our direction, open's his side door and lets them out.  They come barreling at us..we grab the spray can lids and dash for the vehicle.  Our poor friend is slower than us and doesn't quite make it.  One of the dogs nips her on the butt and rips a hole in her pants, but she makes it in and slams the door.  We are all laughing so hard we can't breathe.  Not bad for three fifty year-old women.

We drive around for a while, and every so often, steer by our new art work.  Others are motoring past the new monument too.  Kimberly notes that her brother's friend and cohort at his work would love to see the adventure of the week.  Stopping at this home, we tell him of our creation.  He laughs, calls to his wife and they both hop into his truck to take a gander.  We follow them, but notice that the mattress has been toppled over by Kimberly's bro. who has seen it.  The friend and wife drive on by.  We stop, run, prop the mattress back up, dash back and get into the Denali just as her brother is coming out of his side door.  He sees us, gives us a questioning look to which Kimberly replies in gesture, "Hey, it wasn't me.  See, it was him!"  just as the friend drives by. 

Oh the adventures we can find if we just observe the everyday.  Later, we drive by, and the mattress is totally gone.  I wonder where it will turn up?

To be continued...