CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON -- The Moral of the Story

“The best teachers of humanity are the lives of great men.”

-- Charles H. Fowler

Years ago, I drove on the ferry and opened my car window to enjoy the

view and the bay breeze. A woman sat nearby, then a bicyclist sat next to

her, and they began talking. Because my window was open, I heard most of

the brief conversation.

The woman asked the man where he was from. “Do you mean where do I

live, or where am I from?” he asked.

“Either would be fine,” she said.

“Well, I live in Corona del Mar, but I’m originally from Ohio,” he

answered. “No matter how long I live in California, I’ll never be a

Californian. And I sure won’t raise children here. There are no values

here, and people are snobs.”

That was all I heard before I drove off the ferry. Their conversation

was such a contrast to one I’d had earlier in the day when I went with my

daughter Kelly to get new frames for her glasses. We went to a great spot

with great selections. The woman waiting on us was friendly and, over the

course of trying on many styles and colors, Kelly and the woman chatted

about families, jobs and college.

Kelly finally made a decision, and I returned a few days later to pick

up the glasses. The woman recognized me at once and smiled.

“You have a delightful daughter,” she said. “You didn’t raise her

here, did you?”

“Thank you,” I answered. “We are very blessed, and actually we have

two delightful daughters. You’ll meet her sister soon because she needs

glasses too. We did raise them here, why do you ask?”

“I’ve been in your country for two years, and we have teenagers in

here all the time, but they’re usually rude,” she said. “I assumed it was

because this is California. But your daughter is different, I just

wondered why.”

“It was a combination of God, great family, great friends, great

children and lots of prayer,” I said. “My husband and I worked hard at

and love being parents, but we also had a lot of support and involvement

from others. Plus, the girls have worked hard to make wise decisions.”

I thought about that interchange lately when I was asked by a precious

young friend named Kaitlin to be her guest at her school’s annual Very

Special Person Day. I was both honored and humbled by the invitation.

Kaitlin’s fifth-grade class’ guests included grandparents and other

relatives, as well as coaches, baby-sitters, neighbors and other friends.

Kaitlin’s classroom was alive with fresh flowers, fresh faces, artwork,

schoolwork and a sign that read, “Put Your Trust in God.”

Guests shared memories of fifth grade, and students awarded their

special guests with certificates honoring them for character qualities

they admired. The qualities included joy, kindness, love, faithfulness,

patience, perseverance, dependability and love of God.

Those qualities are certainly things we want in our younger

generation, so they are certainly qualities we all need to be modeling. I

loved my special day with Kaitlin. It was also a great reminder that

young eyes watch older lives, character counts and mentors matter.

And you can quote me on that

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7

cindy@onthegrow.comf7 or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.