Awesome story by E, aged 9

My lovely daughter shared this story with us today.

The Never Ending Trail

by Eowyn Ady

Every day I saw it towering above me like a giant for the past 20 years, and now here I am ready to climb it. I took a step, then another, then another. I was just starting to feel more confident when suddenly something or someone grabbed me and began to pull.

I screamed for help. I was sinking into the ground. "Help!", I cried again, but I knew it was no use. People have died on this mountain. Nobody comes anywhere near it if they can help it. Then I realized something. I was no longer being pulled into the earth. Instead, something seemed to be tying my feet together. But that's not what was surprising me most. The rope felt very much like tree root. Then it hit me that it *was* tree root, tree root that was still connected to its sapling. They were going to grow the tree on top of me. I remember my mother once telling about these creatures. They wait for you to die then grow the tree on top of you then the tree eats you. There's only one way to get away--laughter! I thought, then I said a joke that made everybody laugh.

No More Shooting and Crying

Acculturation into glorification of violence--why do we go to war?

In my children's primary school's weekly newsletter today, this:

"This morning our grade 5/6 students visited the Shrine of Remembrance to join thousands of others for the annual Remembrance Day service. As part of the service, B______ and B__________ , laid a special wreath made by the 5/6 students on the steps of the shrine."

Here's a new's article about the service.

I see I shall have to keep my eyes and ears wide open, if I'm to have any chance of my children growing up not believing the myth of redemptive violence. I think I shall have to do some exposure to MLK and Ghandi.

Tonight I shall ask them "Why do people go to war?" then I shall examine, with them, their answers. =)

What do you think--why do people go to war?