December 2008
C.A.R.(2)E.S. NEWSLETTER
(Creating A Respectful and Responsive Educational System)
Dr. Duane Hodgin, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Support Services
Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
"National School District of Character"
December, 2008
(No. 4)
“What we have done and what we will do is the only mirror by which we can see what we are.” --
Thomas Carlyle

Some Special Readings and Reflections for the Holiday Season

 
IF I KNEW
If I knew this would be the last chance
To some way help make your day,
There would be so many things
I hope that I would say.

For surely there’s always tomorrow
To make up for an oversight,
And we would always get a second chance
To make everything just right.

There will always be another day
To say, “I love you,”
And certainly there’s another chance
To say, “Anything I can do?”

But just in case I might be wrong,
And today is all I get,
I’d like to say how much I love you
And I hope you never forget.

Tomorrow is never promised to anyone,
Young or old alike
So take the time to say kind words
And hold your loved ones tight

So, if you’re waiting for tomorrow.
Why not do it today?
For those who you care about
It will help to make their day.
That you didn’t take the extra time
For a smile, a hug or a kiss
And you were too busy to grant someone,
Something they would miss.
So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you’ll always hold them dear.
Take the time to say “I’m sorry,” “Can I help you?”
“Please forgive me,” “Thank you,” or “It’s ok.”
For if you say these words,
You’ll have no regrets today.
Only if I knew…
-- Anonymous

THE END OF THE DAY
Is anybody happier because you passed this way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to them today?
The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through.
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?

Can you say tonight in parting with the day that’s slipping fast?
That you helped a single person of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does one whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?

Did you waste the day or use it? Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say:
“You have earned one more tomorrow by what you did today?”
-- Anonymous

“Good intentions are not enough. Our character is defined by who we are
and who we choose to become based upon the things that we think and say
and by what we choose to do.” -- Hodgin


LET US REMEMBER…
Let us remember that the person who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Let us remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who errors in giving you the right change is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Let us remember that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a Vietnam war veteran who is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Let us remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Let us never forget each day that, of all the gifts, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. We should open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, and show patience, empathy and love.
-- Anonymous


PRAISE, HONOR, ENCOURAGEMENT…DO YOU TAKE THE TIME?
Every day of our life, as parents and teachers, we are provided with an opportunity to fill a basic need of all people—to feel as if they matter. Do we take the time to give genuine compliments, express admiration, encourage someone and acknowledge a special accomplishment, hard work or personal improvement? If we do give someone the unexpected gift of affirming and encouraging words, it takes little time to do this yet it means so much to the person who receives it. –Hal Urban

WHAT WILL MATTER?
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built. Not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
What will matter is not your competence, but your strength of character.
-- Michael Josephson



EASY vs. HARD

  • Why is it so easy to tell a lie but yet so hard to tell the truth?
  • Why is it so easy to become upset with someone else’s behavior but hard to examine our own?
  • Why is it so easy to gossip or spread rumors about others but so hard to accept when others talk about us?
  • Why is it so easy to give “constructive criticism” to others but so hard to accept it? (Is not “constructive criticism” an oxymoron?)
  • Why is it so easy, at times, to be negative and complain but hard to be positive and not complain?
  • Why is it so easy to get things for ourselves but so hard to give things to others in need?
  • Why are we so sleepy in church, but right when the sermon is over, we suddenly wake up?

As we prepare to celebrate the “Holidays,” by our respective family and religious customs, let us reflect upon the “ten life lessons worth remembering.” (A good message for beginning the “New Year.”)
  • The strength of character.
  • The power of kindness.
  • The influence of example.
  • The joy of giving.
  • The success of perseverance.
  • The virtue of patience.
  • The obligation of duty.
  • The wisdom of listening.
  • The improvement of self.
  • The opportunity to make a difference for others.
A great idea shared with me…when doing your Holiday cards/letter this year, take the time to send at least one card with a note of appreciation to our wounded Veterans. Address it to:
A Recovering American Soldier
C/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

Let us share the joy and spirit of this Holiday Season with our family and others and help us to remember after the verb “to Love,” “to Help” is the most beautiful verb in the world.” -- Bertha Van Sutton