Aubrey Lynn Ragusin, daughter of Brittania and Calvin Ragusin Jr. begins Kindergarten at Port O’Connor Elementary.

Dear God;

Our young children start to school this month. It will all be new and strange for them for awhile…please treat them tenderly. You see, up ‘til now they have been kings of the castle and boss of their own backyards. Parents and loving hands have always been there to soothe hurts and repair feelings…but now that will be different.

On the first school morning they will walk down the steps or out of the yard, wave their hands and begin a grand adventure. It will be an adventure that will take them across new boundaries where they may cross continents and oceans or social dividers and comfort zones. It will be an adventure that brings great joy and fantastic fun, large learning leaps and tremendous growth. It will be an adventure that will include drama, tragedy and sorrow. So, to live their lives will require faith, hope, courage and love. Now, as they face the world, would you sort of look after them, take them by the hand and teach them things they really need to know. Please though, do it gently if you can.

They will have to learn that all people are not good, are not just, are not fair, are not true and are not on their side. Teach them that for every scoundrel there is a hero, for every crooked politician there is a dedicated leader, and for every enemy there is a friend. Let them learn that many out there, even strangers will unconditionally love and encourage them, support them and help them even when they do not deserve it.

Steer them far from envy and greed if you can please and teach them the value of quiet laughter and solitary meditation.

In school Lord, teach them it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat! Let them learn to have faith in their own ideas and ideals, even if everyone says they are wrong.

Teach them to be gentle with people, but allow them to be tough with bullies and tyrants.

Try to give them the strength and character not to follow the crowd, jump on the bandwagon, or join the mob even when everyone else, even their best friend is doing so.

Teach them to listen to all persons, but help them to learn to value the ability to filter all they hear with a screen of truth and to siphon only the good and worthwhile from all the rest.

If you can God, teach them to laugh at themselves, to laugh when they’re sad, to smile through their tears. Allow them to learn there is no shame in tears and many glories and amazing life lessons are found only in failure and despair and seeds of success can grow there.

Let life and the world handle them softly if you can please. Still I ask that you do not coddle them. Steel is tested and proved only in fire, growth takes work and pruning makes better fruit.

Let them have the bravery to use patience when it is called for and still have the courage to be impatient when change demands it.

Guide them to be their own best person…let them be no man’s man and to have sublime faith in who you made them Lord. Let them realize different is not wrong, just different. Then they will have sublime faith in You and lasting faith in mankind.

I know this is quite a tall request Lord, but help me and the world around them remember they are a work in progress…we should stick around and see all that You do. Thank You for our children. They are such treasures and childhood is so short. Protect them as they go out into Your big, wide wonderful world! Amen