Victor goes to kindergarten

No, he's not a child prodigy.

No, we didn't risk his immune system malfunctioning by taking him into the germ incubator called kindergarten.

But Eden's book about Victor has gone where Victor can't.

Two of Eden's books were bought Sandra, Eden's director from The Sound of Music.  The books flew

all the way out to California where they were welcomed by Sandra and her grandsons.  Yesterday

Sandra took one if those books into her grandson's kindergarten class and read it to the children.

When she finished the book and finally revealed to the children that Victor is blind, one little girl said, "But look at the the stuff his family does with him!" Sandra told the children that we will raise him to view his blindness as a minor inconvenience in his life, admitting that this may be over their heads, but it amazed their teacher.

Thank you, Sandra.  I am convinced that adults must teach children to value life, all life.  It starts with learning the value of ourselves.  There are so many ways to instill this in our children.  This is not blindly (pun intended) praising our children for everything imaginable. This does not necessitate participation trophies for everyone. It does mean we purposefully and diligently tell children, our own and those with whom we come in contact, that they are treasured just for being them. Write it down in a special note. Speak it to them. Often. Our children need to know that they were created by the God of the universe with love and thought and purpose.

It can't stop with valuing self; we also must teach our children to value others, to see every human being as a treasured person, also created by the God of the universe with love and thought and purpose.  We need to first model this to our children before we can try to teach it to them. Our words to and about others and our actions toward them, will speak louder than any lecture. We need to talk about what the world values and compare it to what God values. We need to help our children understand that we all have the need for love and attention and to feel valued. Bullies won't bully if they know they are

treasured.  Kids won't make fun of another child if they truly understand that all people, big and small, are made by God for a purpose.  I know it's not as simple as that but if we can start that process by taking Victor to kindergarten, I'm all for it.

You are valuable.  You are treasured.  You are important.  Believe it?  You need to.  Now take that message to one other person today. And another tomorrow... And the day after that...