A child shall lead them…
By BILL DUNCAN
The View From Here
By the calendar we are into December, but you already know that, because merchants started telling us Christmas was nearly here way back before Thanksgiving, perhaps even while the Halloween pumpkins were still on the vine. As annoying as that is, Christmas is nearly upon us.
In my mind, Christmas is a holy season about love and peace on earth. The holiday itself with all its gift giving is for the children. Adults just mess it up.
If left alone, children understand who God is better than any adult. I get lots of unwanted forwards every day when I open my e-mail site and I will confess many I don’t open and reach for the delete key on the keyboard. I almost deleted a forward called "Through a child’s eyes."
I am glad I didn’t even though when I printed it out it was 18 pages. The message made me feel safe in this time of world crisis. Although the forward didn’t explain the source of the contents, as an old investigative reporter who takes nothing for granted I traced the source back to a website produced by a young Australian family, with four children. The origin of the letters is from a Sunday school class where children were asked to write letters to God. Each page of the website has the letters in handwritten scrawl from different children.
It reassured me that all is right with the world and it is only adults who debate whether there is a God. I am just going to highlight some of the delightful letters and reassure you the creative spelling is their own:
"Dear God, if you watch in church Sunday I will show you my new shoes. -Mickey D."
"Dear God, Insted of letting people die and haveing to make new ones why don’t you just keep the ones you got now? -Jane"
"Dear God, I think the stapler is one of your greatest invention. -Ruth M."
"Dear God, I think about you sometimes even when I’m not praying." -Elliott"
"Dear God, I am Amearican what are you? -Robert"
"Dear God, Please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year. -Peter"
"Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each so much if they had had their own rooms. It works with my brother. -Larry"
"Dear God – if – we – come – back – as – something – pleasse- don’t – let – me – be – Jennifer – Horton -because – I – hate – her. -Denise"
"God, I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible, Love, Chris."
"Dear God, If you give men genie lamp like Alladin I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set. -Raphael"
"Dear God, we read Thos. Edison made light. But in Sun. School they said you did it. So I bet he stoled your idea. sincerely, Donna."
"Dear God – Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in their now. -Ginny."
Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma"
"Dear God, in bible times did they really talk that fancy? -Jennifer"
"Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. -Nan"
"Dear God, What does begat mean? Nobody will tell me.
-Love, Alison"
"Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy. -Joyce"
"Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that ok? – Neil"
I have my own letter prepared for God, but I think I will wait to deliver it in person because I am a reporter and I have lots of questions that I need answered. That is my bold way of asking for an interview.
Wouldn’t that make a great column?
(Bill Duncan can be reached by writing to P.O. Box 812, Roseburg, OR 97470)