While I'm Thinking About It

A picture came to my attention. It was the picture of a little girl. The caption read: "I am not a naughty brat. I'm little and I'm still learning. I get overwhelmed and frustrated just like you do, because nobody is perfect. Help me. Guide me. Love me." Too quickly forgotten is the value every man is to place upon others ahead of self. Too easily we slip into preoccupations with our own circumstances and see others as a help or hindrance in achieving those goals, long term or short, that we have set for ourselves. "Suffer the little children" unintentionally becomes "Let the little children suffer." Do not misunderstand, while some purposely target the little ones, most don't. I have that confidence in humanity. Those who intentionally target children are certanly worthy of attention, but they are outside the purview of this brief. Several years ago, while counseling teens in juvenile court charged with truancy, the go-to excuse was, "I didn't miss the bus on purpose." While tha