Gaining a little faith in tomorrow

Perhaps it is the concern of every generation but when I observe kids today I get a little nervous about the future. I fear we are heading toward a society of "me first" people with attention spans shorter than the time it takes the hubster to channel surf. I have noticed that the only place you see the younger generations shopping are either electronic stores or Abercrombie. I can count on one hand the number of under 30's I see in a bookstore. Ok, I understand that not everyone likes to read but I think there used to be a time when more youngsters could be found in bookstores and libraries.

The lack of kids interested in reading is not the only reason I fear for the future. I see a level of violence, and shallow personalities existing at a level unprecedented in history. Or am I just getting old and cranky?

Maybe my parents said the same about my generation? And their parents said the same about them?

But over the last few weeks a few things have happened that helped to ease my fears for the future. And that there are a few good kids out there.

First and foremost there is Tink. She's not exactly a kid but she is a young adult. She is wise beyond her years and she has an amazing gift of observation and contemplation. She is also a responsible person so much so that she owns a home. Not too many people her age do. Nor do they have such a good sense of family values. There aren't enough years between us for her to be my daughter but if she was I would be proud as punch.

Next there is my girlfriends son. Bless his heart he is a seventeen year old boy with a lovely and perfect girlfriend who wants to wait till after marriage to have sex. And he knows that she is such an amazing catch and he respects her so much that he is okay with waiting. Who does that anymore?????? This is also a young man that has found his happiness in farming and in taking care of his mom. He defends his baby sister and makes sure that no one messes with her. He is a young man with values and with his priorities straight.

Another friend of ours has three amazing children. One is heading off at the end of the month to join the coastguard. He is a boy that lives his life to his own tune and his own drummer. He is not a follower. He is not ashamed to call his dad Pappa. And to him having dinner with his family and having days reserved just for his family is ok. He is a very popular kid that hasn't had to give up his values.
He is popular in his own individuality and he would never walk over someone to get even farther. My friends daughter is much like her brother. She is a beautiful child inside and out. She too goes through life with her own private tune in her head. She is also an accomplished harpist. Her beauty and strength has boys falling over her left and right. And she accomplishes all of this just like her brother, with grace and with respect for everyone. Neither of them would EVER put someone else down to make themselves feel better. They don't have a petty bone in their body. The third child is still young but I can see in him so much of his brother that I know he too will be a marvelous adult.

Lastly I met an amazing young woman at the craft show on Saturday. She and her mother were selling candles, soap, and jewelry that they had made. They brought with them Jacob. A 16 year old orphan with Downs Syndrome. This young woman was his caretaker who had him for the week while his foster parents were on vacation. She was infinitely patient with him. And you can see that he adored her. She is in her third year of Sign Language and is teaching Jacob to communicate with her using signing. He is non-verbal so she is hoping to be able to break through with sign language. Jacob is very good at video games. She had to go out to the car to get the power pack for the DVD player. She gave him her little Nintendo game and signed to him to find the red star she needed in her Mario Bros. game. By the time she got back with the power pack he had found the star and handed the game back to her. She thanked him and got him set up with his movie. While we chatted I learned that she is attending the U of M to get a degree in Special Education. She has two other girlfriends at the U that are also learning various aspects of special education. One is going to specialize in speech therapy and one in physical therapy. Then the three girls plan to open up a school for the mentally handicapped. I honestly didn't think there were young adults out there that would have an interest in something so selfless and "unglamorous" a career goal. No hate mail please. I just don't know how else to word what they are going to do. Special Education is a very difficult field that most people prefer not to have to know about or be exposed to. Unfortunately we are a society that likes to pretend that there aren't children out there that need special help. And in a world where the car you drive, the house you live in, the clothes you wear, and the perfect children you have is the only thing that matters it's surprising to find people that still have their heads screwed on right.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that there is hope. For all the negativity in the news. For all the war, the doom, the violence, and the hate. There are little rays of hope.............