Category: Heroes

Protest

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

sub-buzz-12474-1473464621-1.jpgAll Americans have heard of the Boston Tea Party. The dumping of tea into the harbor was an act of defiance against the government of Britain, a protest. Our country was founded on the idea of freedom. Our first amendment in the Bill of Rights beautifully and succinctly outlines the rights of every citizen in only forty five words. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” 

It is sometimes difficult to accept the spirit of the First Amendment, especially when someone is espousing ideas that run counter to our own, but our Founding Fathers rather wisely understood that to have true liberty we must be willing to hear differing points of view. Of late there have been a number of incidents that have troubled various factions but in each case the First Amendment has protected the perpetrators just as it should.

Our President-Elect voiced his disapproval of those who burn the flag of the United States, even indicating his belief that there should be a law making such defamations illegal. The reality is that the Supreme Court has on more than one occasion upheld the right to demonstrate dissatisfaction by setting the flag on fire. There is nothing illegal about doing so and to pass a law making it a crime would be to wander from the original intent of the men who set up our rules. While it may be an odious gesture in some people’s minds it actually demonstrates the free exercise of democracy in one of its most dramatic forms. I believe that it is a powerful sign of the extreme liberty that we all enjoy even though it is something that I would never choose to do.

The protests at Standing Rock are yet another indication that our First Amendment rights are alive and well. In a wonderful bit of irony it has been our Native Americans whose ancestors did not enjoy the perks of citizenship who have used the very tactics that those early patriots in Boston demonstrated before the Revolutionary War began. Whether we agree with their cause or not, they have every right to peacefully voice their grievances. Their chanting is yet another beautiful display of the rights that all of us possess. To even consider that they should not be allowed to show their disdain is to chip away at the First Amendment and all that it implies.

Most recently the founder of the Alt Right spoke at Texas A&M University. He was not invited or sanctioned by the university but simply rented space on campus much as many different groups and organizations regularly do. His invective and ideas are despicable and fly in the face of all for which we should stand as decent human beings but when all is said and done he has every right to spew his hateful speech. To think otherwise is to question the validity of our Bill of Rights. As painful as it may seem to hear the rantings of such an individual, the intent of the authors of the First Amendment was to allow every one of us to have a voice, even those whose words are vile.

I find the Alt Right to be disgusting in every possible way but I also want to know what such people are thinking. It is important that we know their thoughts for it is only in realizing what they are about that we will be able to combat them with reason and truth. Simply shutting them down will only drive them underground and make them even more menacing.

Universities in particular should be centers of the free exchange of ideas, even those that are questionable. Students should learn how to critically assess philosophies and beliefs. Being shielded from the words of deplorable individuals only shelters young people from reality rather than teaching them how to deal with it. At Texas A&M a contingent of students and faculty members met the Alt-Right head on with a counter rally that was five times larger than the one held by the white supremacist group. In a peaceful manner they registered their dissent while still adhering to the basic tenets of freedom of speech.

Years ago I took my young daughter to the University of Texas in Austin where she was enrolled as a freshman. As we walked around campus we came upon a free speech area that had been an integral part of the campus for decades. We learned that this was a spot where all students had the right to express their opinions. Out of respect for liberty they would be safe regardless of how absurd their beliefs might be. I saw this sanctuary as a sign that the university was a fountain of learning and excellence and I was happy that my daughter would be in such a place. It did not matter to me what she might hear there, only that she would be exposed to a multitude of ideas from which to ultimately form her own.

Our First Amendment allows me to write about my own thinking each day. If I point out the flaws of our political leaders I am safe as long as I do not threaten them. If I state my religious views I am safe as long as I do not advocate forcing others to agree with me. It is an amazing gift to be able to be so freely open with my ideas. There are few places on earth where the citizens are so protected in that regard and if I were ever to fight fiercely for any concept it would be to preserve the liberty invoked by that incredible and brilliant addition to our Constitution.

I believe that it is up to each of us to stand firm in protecting the rights of our First Amendment. Sometimes it is difficult to take some of the people and groups who enjoy the same liberties as we do, but it is necessary to speak out for them as well. We don’t have to agree with what they believe or have to say but we must affirm their right to do so. The very fact that we continue to have reasons to discuss these rights is evidence that our freedoms are still very much alive and well. The day that we infringe them will be the day that we should all take to the streets in protest just as our Founding Fathers and all patriotic Americans would expect us to do.

Be An Elf

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

3485j5ydzhjnpsnenhzpaiqdb69One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf, the story of Buddy, an orphan who stole away in Santa’s bag on Christmas Eve and ended up being raised at the North Pole. Buddy is as sweet as the sugary diet that he so loves but somehow he doesn’t quite fit in with the other elves. When he learns about his true identity he sets off to New York City in search of his birth father and hopefully finding an idea of who he really is.

I love Buddy for his unadulterated innocence. He doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body even though he is not always treated with the love and respect that he accords to everyone he meets. He seems strange in a world of hustle, bustle and competition but people eventually respond to his genuine nature. He finally learns that just being himself is his best talent.

I’ve been fortunate to know many individuals much like Buddy, people who almost appear to be otherworldly in their ability to see the good in every person and situation. One of the first of such people that comes to my mind is one of my former principals, Joe. To this day his face is continually lit with what seems to be a permanent grin that is so spectacular it lights up a room. He is filled with happy greetings no matter the time of day. I have to admit that am not a morning person so I sometimes avoided Joe in the earliest part of the school day because I felt overwhelmed by his expansive good nature. Still, in my heart I loved that he was so exuberant and open. I know the kids did.

Joe began his career working with special needs children. I suspect that he was wonderful in that regard because he is so accepting of everyone exactly the way they are. As a principal he reveled in making everyone happy. He started each school day with optimism and spent his hours thinking of ways to bring out the best in people. He’s retired now and often travels to Haiti and other countries that have experienced difficulties. He volunteers his time and talents and makes many friends. His Facebook posts are infinitely positive and hopeful, filled with inspiration and faith. He even takes the time to warn all of us who are his friends to be careful as we travel about during the holiday season.

My mother was a beautiful soul like Joe, almost childlike in her interactions with people. She seemed to be a lovely sprite with one of those magical smiles that only very special people have. Like Buddy, the elf-human, she found great joy in the simplest things. Nothing made her happier than a really good cup of coffee or an ice cream cone. She enjoyed looking at Christmas lights and she didn’t need an expensive display to feel excited. A few strands across a front porch were enough to make her happy.

Some people saw my mother as an eccentric but most learned to return the love that she gave so freely. She literally spent her days thinking about everyone that she knew and she gave to so many charitable organizations that she barely had enough money at the end of the month to meet her own obligations. She scoffed when I reminded her to be more careful with her funds and insisted that she would be fine which, in fact, she usually was.

I have known many young people who were so much like Buddy, Joe and my mother. Among them is Danny, one of the most remarkable young people that I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. Danny claims that he was not always as agreeable as he now is. He tells a story of a troubled past that landed him in the hands of the police. When he realized how close he had come to ruining his life and when he saw how devastated his mother was, he set out to change direction. He did so with great determination and the Danny that I met was kind, sincere, honest and peaceful.

Danny is a valiant prayer warrior. It is through God that he has found his way. Whenever I request that Danny storm the heavens for a particular cause miracles seem to happen. He is a person that everyone seems to love and admire, a leader who exemplifies the kind of high moral character to which we all aspire. He literally radiates empathy and a holy spirit.

I once taught a young lady who was much like Danny. Her family was homeless and she slept in the trunk of a car each evening. Many young girls might have been angry and disruptive given such dire circumstances but she was quite literally optimistic and content that her situation was only temporary. In the meantime she made the best of things and found ways to see her lifestyle as a kind of adventure. She somehow managed to do all of her homework and came to school hiding her poverty behind the two outfits that she alternated. She spoke of how lucky she was to get breakfast and lunch at the school each day and had high praise for the owner of the funeral home behind which her family lived. They allowed her to use the bathroom facilities and to sit inside while she tended to her studies. She searched their dumpster each evening for “treasures” including the flowers that she brought me. I suspect that I learned more from this precious child than she ever learned from me.

I always thought of my grandmother as a kid in an old woman’s body. It was difficult for me to imagine her boarding a ship all by herself to come to America and a strange new way of living. Like Buddy, she was so uncomplicated. She needed little to be satisfied. A fresh loaf of rye bread or a Whitman’s Sampler was akin to a pot of gold for her. She appeared to know little of the world or the hatefulness that lurked outside her door. My mother said that she hugged and kissed and protected her children with all of her might. She lived her days in peace and offered her love without any restrictions.

We are surrounded by many people like Buddy and the others that I have described. Sometimes we think that they are a bit unconventional. We may worry about them because they are so guileless. Somehow they manage through the force of their love to pry open even the most hardened hearts. They change our world for the better. We know that just being with them makes us happy.

I’d like to think that we all have a bit of Buddy in us, we just need to allow our inner child to emerge. Not only will we make the people around us feel better but I suspect that our souls will feel more harmonious as well. Be an elf. Smile and enjoy the beauty of the moment and the people that we encounter as we go about the business of our days.

A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetimeToday is a day for counting blessings. I have many reasons to be thankful and all of them involve the people that I have known. From the moment of my first memories I have been surrounded by good loving souls who cared for me and made me feel safe and secure. I have to admit that I have only rarely felt the pain of abuse from another human and in each of those cases I enjoyed the freedom to walk away. I have observed hate in this world but have not been the victim of it. Instead my life has witnessed kindness, loyalty, understanding and genuinely unconditional love over and over again.

When my baby brain awoke my parents were there doting on me, along with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends. I recall riding in my grandfather’s Plymouth coupe with the earthy aromas of pipe tobacco and leather engulfing my senses as I watched him steer the car so confidently with his big laborer’s hands. I remember watching my grandmother rolling dough and allowing me to cut little round circles that would become big fluffy biscuits that melted in my mouth along with the homemade butter and jam that she slathered on them. I can still see my other grandma padding across the room in her bare feet carrying enamel cups of sugary coffee for her guests.

When I think of my aunts and uncles they are still young and beautiful in my mind. They sit around a big table playing poker and squabbling like loving siblings from a large family are wont to do. Then I think of my cousins, the ones who are more like brothers and sisters, who always seem to have been stalwarts in my world. We are filled with wonder and imagination, inventing games and entertaining ourselves for hours without any adult supervision. How we loved each other as children and how we still do as adults!

I enjoyed the times that we spent with my parents’ friends, especially Mr. and Mrs. Krebs. Sitting in a circle listening to Texas Aggie football games on the radio was a regular fall weekend event. We munched on cinnamon toast and popcorn while a lone voice narrated the action. I wouldn’t give up those times for anything. They were wonderful.

Eventually Daddy was gone. I would miss listening to his voice as he read fairytales to me or chuckled at the Sunday funny papers. Me and my brothers and mother would have to move on without him. Mama became our everything all rolled up into one beautiful package. She kept the faith with Texas A&M and there was never a Thanksgiving Day that we missed tuning in to the gridiron clash between the Aggies and the Longhorns. She would time our dinner so that we would be able to pay careful attention to the game. It was a tradition that we cherished and followed until the game was scheduled for another day and then the two teams played no more.

We found so many genuine friends in our neighborhood after our father died, people who literally watched over us and made sure that we always had whatever we needed. They made me feel quite special with their frequent displays of kindness. As a young child they provided me with multiple examples of how to be a good and upright adult. Mrs. Janot shared her afternoon programs with me in air conditioned splendor. Mrs. Bush demonstrated a rare courage that I greatly admired. Mrs. Frey took me and my brothers under her wing along with her own five children. The Limbs were models of hard work and moderation in all things. The Cervenkas were fun. The Sessums quietly did small favors that were actually huge in my mind.

School was like heaven for me. With one exception my teachers were always angels. I loved them so. Many of the friends that I made have followed me into adulthood and of late I have become reacquainted with others whom I had lost along the way. I find that we are very much alike for having shared the same experiences when we were growing into adults. We have good values. We were taught by our parents and teachers to always be ethical and fair minded. As far as I can tell most of us ended up being model citizens, employees, spouses, parents. We learned from the best.

Eventually I met my husband and we fell madly in love. Ours has been a grand romance from the beginning mostly because we cherish each other as unique individuals. We are both independent and do not always think exactly alike. The differences that we have  make our lives more interesting. My Mike has always treated me with unquestioning respect. He encourages me to be the person that I want to be. He is loyal and undoubtedly my very best friend. I have loved him every single day for almost fifty years. In turn, I received a second set of parents on the day that we wed. My in-laws have helped me in some of the most difficult times of my life.

At work I met the most amazing and giving people who were dedicated to helping the youth of our nation to become educated. They worked hard to bring excellence into the classroom. I admired them as much as the teachers that I had as a child. I saw them devoting themselves totally to their vocations. They might have become wealthy in other careers but they chose to serve the countless children and families that came to them year after exhausting year. Some only speak of being champions for our youth but my teacher friends have actually done the heavy lifting, often with little gratitude or compensation. They are my heroes, the people that I most admire. If life were totally fair they would all meet with the President of the United States and be given Medals of Freedom for their good deeds.

The pleasant memories of my friendships are ongoing. I think of all the fun that I have had shopping at thrift stores with Cappy, exchanging Christmas cheer with Linda and Bill, sitting at a table discussing the world with Pat and Bill, camping with Monica and Franz, playing bridge with Susan, watching our children play with the Turners and the Halls, being myself with Nancy, enjoying dinners with the KIPP gang, being with my adult former students and seeing how remarkable they have become, continuing to admire Judy as my icon, finding my first grade pal Virginia. I might go on for hours with beautiful stories of individuals who gave me their hearts.

I have been blessed with two daughters who are brilliant and beautiful and best of all, loving. They in turn married good men and together they built families that gave me the gift of seven grandchildren. All of them are the joy and the center of my universe. I revel in being with them and watching them grow. Their laughter warms my heart. I pray each day that they will know the same level of affection that I have so enjoyed.

I have been surrounded by the most incredible people at every turn of my existence. I have been blessed beyond measure in knowing them. I sometimes wonder why I have been chosen to be so fortunate. There have been times when my family was financially challenged. I have dealt with extremely difficult situations. I have not been sheltered from sadness and tragedy. Still I have only known love and kindness. At each turn someone has stepped forward to fill me with joy sometimes for a reason, sometimes for a season, sometimes for a lifetime. For that I am profoundly thankful on this day. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

An Exceptional Man

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

15171229_10154721230488550_2543187410716779275_nAn exceptional man has died. You will not hear about this on television for he was not a celebrity to anyone but those who who knew him well. I was only briefly acquainted with him. He “friended” me on Facebook last June. I accepted his invitation immediately because I was had worked with his son for years. I suspected that I already had a very good idea of what kind of man he was from the many interactions I that I had with his child. I believed that I would like this man very much, and I did.

Donny Wilkins has died. I did not realize that he was waging a battle with cancer during the brief time that he was my friend. He was an optimist and a faith-filled man who spread a message of love and tolerance every single day. I began to look forward to his inspirational posts because they were uplifting in the midst of a world filled with so much anger and hate. I found that I felt a bit better each time one of his entries found its way to my wall. It was as though he was ministering to all of us who were lucky enough to be among those he had chosen to be part of his world. I felt deeply honored to get to peer inside his heart.

I was lucky enough to meet Donny Wilkins because his son, Shaun, attended the high school where I was a Dean. I was the Grade Level Chairperson for Shaun’s Class of 2010 and I tried to become acquainted with each of the students in that group. They were known for possessing an independent spirit and a special sense of justice and Shaun was unafraid to be a warrior for all that is right. He was loved by his peers as well as his teachers. I noticed immediately that he was a brilliant student and a deep thinker. He had a smile that was both innocent and charming. I now know that he inherited that dazzling countenance from his father. He was open and caring, also traits from his dad. I immediately liked Shaun very much. As most teenagers are apt to be he sometimes faltered here and there but mostly he was continuously driven forward by a goal of truly making a difference. This past May he graduated from Wiley College with a degree and high hopes of demonstrating his excellence. I was quite proud of his achievement but understood that he is only at the beginning of what will surely be a remarkable lifetime. Not long after I wrote a blog about Shaun his father asked to be my Facebook friend. That is when I truly understood how Shaun had become the wonderful person that he is.

Shaun is the physical image of his dad. Like his father he works hard and strives to always bring a high level of morality and ethics to any situation. He loves God in much the same way that his father did. I have little doubt that he will continue to make his dad a very proud man as he looks down from his heavenly home. Sadly Shaun will know the deep sadness that the loss of a man of such great influence leaves on the heart. He will also have memories of the lessons that his father taught all of us that will sustain him forevermore. His father wisely demonstrated with his every example what it means to be a man of God, a person of honor.

Donny Wilkins was by all standards a great husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend. The tributes to his character have filled my wall and I love reading them even though it pains me to know that he is gone. If a line from The Wizard of Oz is to be believed then the measure of his love is inestimable because so many loved him. I know that in the very short time that I had the pleasure of being listed among his friends I grew to admire and respect him more and more each day. He possessed a wisdom that is all too rare. His was a selfless way of viewing the world. He worked hard to care for his family and seemed to always place others before himself.

I am going to miss Donny Wilkins. He was one of those rare individuals who bring sunshine wherever they go. I know that the members of his family are grief stricken, especially his son Shaun. There are no healing words other than those that Donny himself recently used. “Dear God, I bring my burdens to you and you know my situation. You know I can’t make it without you. Comfort my heart, give me strength, and help me carry on. Amen.”

Donny has more than earned his wings. He is already watching over those who loved him. I am the better for having known this man as are all of us who had the privilege of “walking” beside him. May he rest in peace and may his family take heart in knowing just how special it has been to have such a man in their circle of love. 

No Greater Love

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

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Greater love has no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I cannot even conceive of the courage that it must take to be a soldier. We all too often forget that many of our fellow citizens are in harm’s way in dangerous places even on this very day. They quietly pledge to protect our country and sometimes lose their lives in the process of doing a day’s work. Only last week a young man from Houston was killed in Jordan. He had attended Strake Jesuit High School and the University of Texas. He was known by his friends as someone who was fun and generous. He was bright and talented and had a whole lifetime of possibilities ahead of him and yet he chose to enter the military, an action that he felt was an honor and his duty. His friends and family grieve that he is gone and all of us should feel a sense of sorrow as well. It was for those of us that he never even met that he gave his life.

There were a couple of young men who went to my high school when I was there who died in Vietnam. One went to war shortly after graduating. He was a friendly fellow with an inviting smile. It broke my heart to hear of his death. The other soldier was brilliant. He had graduated from college and had a promising career but he wanted to help in the effort to maintain a democracy in South Vietnam. He too lost his life, a tragedy that touched me in a very personal way because his little brother was good friends with one of my siblings.

At the time that these two soldiers were killed it never occurred to me that theirs had been an act of love. I was too busy protesting the war and participating in rallies. I actually thought that they had been foolish to take part in the conflict. As the years went by I began to see their sacrifice as something sacred. I began to hold them in high esteem. When I visited the Vietnam wall on the National Mall I found their names and ran my fingers over the etching in the stone. I wept. I felt the love associated with what they had done. I spoke to their spirits and thanked them for their service to our country.

I came of age in an era of protest. I thought it noble and fitting to speak against a war that seemed unreasonable to me. It never occurred to me that it was so incredibly easy to do what I had done while the efforts of the soldiers who had been my classmates were monumental. It has been five decades since their passing. Their love of country inspires and humbles me.

I have a long time friend who served as a medic in that same war. I often think of the horrors that he must have seen as he fought to save lives. I suppose that I never expressed enough gratitude for what he did but I can imagine how important his efforts must have been to the soldiers who lived because he was there. I know that he never discusses those days. He came back far more serious and contemplative than he had been. His wife told me that he often had nightmares as he relived the battles and thought of the torn and bloodied bodies that he viewed.

We sit safely in our cities and towns and rarely think of what our fellow citizens of the military are doing. We complain about the unfairness of our country. We criticize and speak of being ashamed of our nation. We refuse to sing the national anthem or salute the flag. All the while the men and women of the Armed Forces are doing the heavy lifting that we don’t want to do so that we will have the freedom to make ourselves heard. They deal with uncertainties and danger as a matter of course. We all too often take them for granted, sometimes even neglecting them when they return home. Even worse is when we insult them by self righteously assuming that they are violent individuals who somehow deserve our scorn rather than our praise.

On this Veterans Day and everyday we should honor the present day military and those who once served. They are real heroes who deserve our highest consideration. They are mostly humble and silent about the work that they have done for you and me. They rarely bring attention to themselves. They will tell you that they were happy to be able to give back to the country and its people.

I see a great deal of whining in today’s world. People continuously complain about what they don’t have and tend not to count their many blessings. They take more note of slights than opportunities. They make degrading comments about our country, its leaders and our soldiers. They have little idea of how safe and secure they are because of the unseen, unsung men and women who are guarding us twenty four hours a day. They rarely think of our military if at all.

Take the time to remember our veterans and our Armed Forces today. Don’t just think of them. Thank them. They won’t ask for your gratitude but I can’t help but think that they will appreciate knowing that their efforts have not gone unnoticed. God bless them and their willingness to lay down their lives for friends that they don’t even know. There is no greater love.