All we are saying is give peace a chance.
For a few years I taught creative writing as a volunteer with my friend Vince Cefalu at the Braille Institute in Hollywood, California. One of our students was an elderly African-American named Kenneth. He was in a wheelchair, partly blind and with a speech impediment. Toward the end he was also a little demented. Kenneth had been cruelly abused and neglected as a child, and he once told me just a little of those nightmare years. His life had been a painful one and he said he looked forward to dying, it would be a relief. But, sitting next to me in class one day, he told me a simple yet profound truth I never forgot and it is now part of me.
“So many bad things happened to me,” he said. “Things that should never have happened to a little boy. But this time is my time, my only time, to be alive. This is Kenneth’s time.”
And then he gave his funny Kenneth giggle. So, with a holiday and a new year upon us, it would be good to remember gentle souls like Kenneth and try to love one another. Or at least try to understand that this time is truly our only time to be alive.
Peace, love and blessings to all the people in my life. I am grateful for you one and all.
David
2 comments:
Exactly. I love Kenneth and you for remembering & sharing his wisdom. I wish I could give you a big warm Navajo woman hug you handsome fellow! Hoping you find that warm hug from another beauty soon, happy holidays! Paula
Lovely message, David. Most generous of spirit that you choose to share Kenneth's timeless message with us, your readers. The photographs transcend time, moving me to feel as if on location, as one with the photographer (you).
Thanks for sharing. & Best Holiday Wishes -- see you at the AmP Holiday Luncehon, Dec. 16. Don
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