Harold Keller / L’Observateur / April 26, 2000

Most of my life, I’ve taken my childhood days for granted. I was blessed withgood parents, good schools, excellent teachers, and many people in the community who cared about each other’s children. We had recreation andnobody got paid. Divorce was almost unheard of. The only time drugs werementioned is when you went to the drug store.

My dad was a positive influence in my life and in the lives of many of the neighborhood children. He organized games, pitched for both teams, and hadbasketball goals put up on a vacant lot. No, it was not organized, but oh somuch fun.

I tried to be as good to my children as my dad was to me, but I fell a little short. Other things seemed more important. Times had changed. Success inthe world seemed more important than being a successful husband and father. However, even with my shortcomings, my children had a fairlynormal, happy childhood. I talk to them often about their children’s activities,and I think they will agree that their children’s lives are a little more complicated, with more distractions.

I was blessed as a child and because of this, I cannot relate to the childhood of those less fortunate, and neither can my children and grandchildren.

Many of today’s young people have been robbed of their innocence at early ages. This, again, was brought to my attention last Saturday night at a drugrehabilitation center.

One of the young men, who had just arrived a few days before, touched my heart. As he and other newcomers introduced themselves to me, I noticed apicture of Jesus tattooed on his neck. He was only 20 years old. I said to him,”Jesus want to be in your heart, not on your neck.” He just laughed. Duringmy talk, I picked on him a few times and he loved every minute of it.

After the meeting, he came up to my wife and I, with a big smile, and said, “Man, this was great! In fact, I had a great day today. We played softball forthree hours and I was the pitcher. I got hit in the leg with a batted ball butrecovered in time to get the batter out at first.””My leg still hurts a little,” he continued, (as though his injury was a badge of honor). “That was the first time I had so much fun playing ball in quite someyears.”He then shared that Ms. Julie, the person in charge of group activities, hadan Easter egg hunt for all the clients. “I had so much fun,” he said. “I didn’tfind the eggs that entitled you to a prize, but it sure was a lot of fun. I wasprobably about 5 years old when I went on my last Easter egg hunt.”In the course of the conversation, he told us that he first used drugs when he was 9 years old.

As this young man shared his happy day at the drug rehab center, playing ball and participating in an Easter egg hunt, all I could think of was that he was evidently robbed of his childhood. I was then reminded that Jesus said we allhave to become as innocent and pure as a little child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saturday night, the young man at the treatment center was like a little boy. Iwas glad for him and pray that his excitement for the good, clean, pure life that he experienced Saturday, and which God intended for all of us, will continue.

Harold Keller is a regular columnist for L’Observateur.

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