The Immortality of Khayazaki Khatwya

That's true, Fiona MacDonald, author of A Child's Eye View of History (ISBN 0689813783); few children are featured in history books. But they make it, or have often been substantial in influencing social, political, and cultural change or speaking to you and me long after they're dead. And we know of a few, as you attest, or at least I do; Thutmosis – better known to me at Thutmose – the Third, who became pharaoh of Egypt when he was ten but didn't reign in his own right until he was thirty and died thirty-three years later, kinda the Alexander the Great of his day (the fifteenth century B.C.); Pliny the Younger – though I didn't realize he was seventeen when he wrote his account of Mount Vesuvius erupting in A.D. 79; Albrecht Dūrer, the fifteenth-century artist perhaps best known for his “Praying Hands” yet who began his career when he was fifteen; and Anne Frank, best known for her diary but tragically for her death in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, mid-twentieth century.

 

They and sixteen other children spanning the globe and about thirty-five centuries along with supportive text and illustrations help us see that childhood, even when it wasn't regarded as a separate stage of life (which it wasn't in the “industrialized” world until the mid-nineteenth century, and in some parts of our world still isn't, with children once they were able to walk and talk regarded as miniature adults to work and be worked), was a time in which we – and they – could accomplish a lot. The title character of today's message was eleven years old at the time apartheid legally ended in South Africa, and the book contains her first-person account of her parents voting for the first time, standing in line, and her rushing home to get her mom's identity document (and we in the United States moan about a picture ID in order to vote?) and bringing it with such pride! Khayakazi Khatwya would be thirty as I'm writing this and has likely voted in a few elections of her own now.

And on the subject of children, we have two more staying with us – our nieces Breanna and Josceline – for a week and a half due to their guardians, grandparents Robert and Sharon (along with their aunt, Martha's sister, Mary) being at Robert's annual navy reunion being held in Washington D.C. We got B and J at our house Sunday night and last night, after the spaghetti dinner Martha whipped up – with homemade garlic bread, natch – it wasn't much trouble getting the three younger kids to play for a bit and then sit for a game of Racko, and then to bed. What annoyed us most was the toilet backing up for a few hours … oh, Breanna was already in bed, and having once been a high school senior myself (twenty-four years ago; oh, that dates me) I can SO appreciate wanting to turn in early! Had to take Jeffrey to our neighbors' house when he had to go bad … so this weekend we got it some needed quiet time. I don't remember much about it, sad to say.

Oh, if I wanted to pore my journals I could find that a week from Sunday is when Bethany's Sunday school begins and I need to finish the play I'm writing on Psalm 23, and that Robert, Sharon, and Mary left Minot at six am Monday morning, and that I am thankful Martha and I got to talk by ourselves for a few minutes this morning without being romantic … 'cause sometimes I feel I am so putting on the show like I'm supposed to know what to do in any given scenario. Then I opened one of my older journals because I was inspired to know just what I was concerned about, what did I consider important enough to write about on April 27, 1994. Eighteen days before I graduated Stetson University, before I'd ever met Martha (note to self: share with my wife more of my life story before I met her, more than I have – I didn't hate growing up that much) and Sarah and Jeffrey weren't even glimmers in our eyes, the day apartheid in South Africa ended with the first adult universal suffrage election held that Wednesday.

April 27, 1994 …

Isaiah 54 April 27

18 days [to graduation from Stetson University] 8, intern!

Today’s summative evaluation 9404.27

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,

Yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

Nor my covenant of peace be removed,”

Says the Lord, who has compassion on you. 10

Help me to have compassion on others, Lord; referring 25 of 150 students for discipline is not how anyone wants to spend their day!

As I said, my summative evaluation was 4^th period. I’m glad that between Miss Posey, Mr. Coursey, and myself we found out what my strengths were (my clarity is improving, my faith is strong – an “emotion-related sleep disorder,” and my reaction time is reacting) as well as my weaknesses (CLASS ROOM MANAGEMENT – and I am not alone!) or my potential.

Now I am nearing the end of my internship and the end of my Stetson undergraduate career. Right now I don’t feel a lot of the regrets that I thought I would. Part of that help came from counseling from Kathy Wilkes, “the gang” from the education department, and others here who helped me to see like the Tin Woodsman did – by not trying to act so human, I am finding those qualities in me. I am finding you in me, Lord.

[prayer sign] Evan Keller chose not to accept the InterVarsity position at UF, and says he’ll be here for the next few years;

Patricia Hall (biology/premed 1997) and I were talking in the commons for a half hour, [and] she has a lot to say, here from Zephyrhills, nee’ New York;

David Crowder (history 1997) is having time difficulty in Dr. Steeves’ class; help defuse tensions on both sides, Lord

And that's me, David