Change always begins at home

Matt Pearl

This week, a young man who I taught in school wrote me a letter of appreciation. It was a class assignment, but he spared no detail and truly wrote a wonderful note of thanks.

There’s so much negativity in the world, and once in a while to get a positive word from a teenager can mean a lot to folks like you and me.

Years ago, I would tell people that teaching had an addictiveness to it — a drug that allows you to forget your frustrations when a student would smile and say thanks. Coaching was the same: a good win erases several bad losses in a moment.

Perhaps this young man knew that giving me such a letter would make my day. I would tell him that having students benefitting from the lessons we teachers work to impart to them daily can make a career worthwhile for educators.

And so I began to consider the value of having purpose in our lives.

I’ve read the self-help stuff about being driven by our goals and working to actualize our purpose in this life. I don’t want to give you the 600-word condensed version of a subject upon which gurus have written entire books.

What I do want to do is to remind you that all of us thrive upon purpose, and in this little space I would like to remind you to watch for life’s sometimes small, seemingly insignificant signs that we are fulfilling our purpose.

We don’t get awards for getting our kids out of bed, feeding them, sending them to school, and those thousands of other little tasks that comprise our days.

We don’t ask for medals, but rather we insist that taking care of our own is a portion of our life’s responsibilities.

But when you get them raised (I’m speaking out of turn on this point; my children are still pretty small), it appears that often our efforts gain appreciation. If we’re raising kids who never say thanks, we need only look to a flaw in their upbringing.

When we can clearly see that we are introducing productive young people into society, seeing such is the reward that every parent or teacher craves.

Our nation is completely confused on such issues, and has been for a long while.

As the masses look for solace in the arms of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, it would be worthwhile for you and me to remind them how ridiculous the notion of either candidate making our lives better truly is.

Your leaders lead you, but in the Land of the Free, each of us must have the self-discipline to follow his or her own true compass, rejecting at times the beaten path and striking out where our hearts lead.

I’m disgusted that our nation would allow the presidential race to come down to two such unworthy human beings to lead the greatest nation in the world.

But day-to-day, my greatest duty is to practice my freedom in a way that benefits myself, my family, and my God.

The Donald can build walls and Hillary can overregulate to her heart’s content. I am free. If they run this nation into ruin, they will have to face their Maker, just as I will one day.

My America didn’t begin with crooked politicians, and I certainly have no intention of allowing them to end it.

You know why?

Because a nation that allows us freely to exercise our liberties for good inherently possesses power.

And its people own it — from shore to shore. Our will shall prevail, so let’s do the right thing, okay?

Instead of waiting for a great leader, let’s start change from home.