May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to do what is right. Peter Marshall, Chaplain for the US Senate, 1947
In doing research for this 4th of July blog post, I ran across an essay written by an 8th grader, Clarice Neitzel. She begins with “To me, freedom means to be able to learn from my mistakes. If I didn’t have freedom, I would have to do what the top authorities always tell me to do. I don’t have any room for mistakes so it would be harder to learn about life.”
I love this concept. I hope Clarice’s attitude grew out of her parents and teachers allowing her to learn from her mistakes. Clarice concludes her essay with, “Just remember, we are the land of the free and the home of the brave!” Don’t you love the “we are” rather than we “live in”?
Affirmation: Freedom gives me the opportunity to learn from my mistakes.
Coaching question: What does freedom mean to you?
Life after losing a mother 