Kidz Doing Good/Fun Stuff

Three of the "quadruplets" participating with Coeur d'Alene Charter School with yesterday's March for Our Lives in Coeur d'Alene. 

I sat mesmerized for nearly three hours watching C-Span yesterday. The uninterrupted programming followed the March for Our Lives gathering in Washington, D.C.

I never did see the folks I know from Sandpoint who were there at the event, but I have seen photos on their Facebook pages.

As an educator, now retired but still very passionate about the potential of young people, I would admit that it took no convincing for me to enthusiastically embrace this magnificent display of youth in action. 

Having worked around thousands of kids during my career, I know that often many adults underestimate and sometime even dismiss what's coming from the minds of babes.  

After all, they are works in progress and they need to grow up before we should take them seriously. 

Sadly, I've actually heard in the past few weeks---from a few "omniscient" adults that grown-ups have all the answers and basically these kids need to shut up.

Never in my lifetime until the Columbine mass shootings did I worry much about the safety of kids coming to school. 

As time has passed, however, and what was once a total, disturbing anomaly has become a total, disturbing norm, I can't even imagine what it must be like for parents, kids and educational staff to live with the very real fear that some day, the odds may not favor them on what starts out to be an ordinary school day.  

This fear goes beyond schools---- spilling also into churches, malls, concerts, athletic events, night clubs, airports, etc. 

Because of the most recent massacres occurring in schools and because some grief-stricken but courageous and articulate kids in Florida decided enough was enough, yesterday's march in Washington and those across the world focused on school shootings AND on kids. 

Much of the news we see on a daily basis in this country is distressing at best. The "swamp" seems to be seeping into the cesspool with great and disturbing force. 

For me, a person who loves to trumpet the endless positives of this world, I have become downright depressed about the direction America seems to be going. 

Granted, it would be easy to turn off the TV and to avoid visiting the Internet, but I'm a journalist, and one of my lifelong passions has been to know what's happening.  So, for me it's futile to even think of turning off the switch.

So, I was glad that I turned ON the switch yesterday and watched as some of the brightest, most passionate, knowledgeable young minds in this country gave me hope that there is hope for the future of America. 

The entire program was well organized and beyond powerful. It featured live speeches, visual graphics and meaningful musical selections. 

I was amazed at the poise, speaking ability and the messages shared by kids ranging from as young as 11 to kids soon to graduate from high school.  As a teacher, I thought to myself, there is some powerful teaching going on in those schools. 

I'm also pretty confident that these kids have learned in their educational experience the difference between respecting the Second Amendment and respecting the rights of their own contemporaries not having to be mowed down by a military-style weapon. 

In no way, are they trying to do away with a part of our Constititution. 

If there's "fake news," the myth that we should fear losing our guns and having the Second Amendment erased from the U.S. Constitution is purely that, a convenient myth to fire up the emotions of a portion of our society. 

Dead children can fire up the emotions also. 

I'm glad to see kids, armed with information and passion and determination to push for the changes necessary to return our schools to the safe havens we all knew when we were receiving our education. 

Yesterday rejuvenated a portion of my faith that all might turn out better.  We do not expect perfection any time we live in the human condition, but it seems that we can go a long way to restore the basic freedoms of going about our day feeling relatively safe.  

Our kids, especially, deserve this freedom. 

After watching the March for Our Lives, I enjoyed an added dose of faith in the younger generation when Terra, who spent last year working with my horse Lefty, joined me for my daily trip to see CB.

Watching her eyes light up and the smiles on her face while she groomed the little guy and then worked with him in the indoor arena was invigorating. 

I think Terra has a new friend, as does CB. 

Later, I saw pictures of "family members plus one" participating in yesterday's march in Coeur d'Alene and later in a special anniversary powwow with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. 

"Plus one," by the way, is Jade, whom I often refer to as the fourth triplet. Twas pretty neat to see Jade in her tribal regalia. 

Yup, when we get a little depressed about what's happening in the world around us, a dose of youth can often be very therapeutic---even those cute youth with four legs. 

Yesterday's events nationally and locally served as supreme examples.

GO, KIDZ!  We are proud of you. 

Justine, Jade and Grace:  three quarters of the quadruplets. 

CB loved his brushing session with Terra. 

My sister Barbara took this photo of stallmates Arty and CB yesterday. 

When posting it on Facebook during the snowy, sloppy day, she suggested that Arty and CB would like to see the snow go away and the green grass come so the young'uns could get out and romp rather than standing in their stall. 

When horses are bored, lips and teeth can be very adept at creating some fun stuff to do. 

Even young horses learn to "keep their eye on the ball."