THE FACE

The Face

Late last night, I walked into my bathroom, like so many times before, but this time I actually really did focus in all the way on that face, and that face belonged to me. I had looked into that mirror many times but never really saw myself and I was a little afraid, not much but a little. My son was still sleeping. Nevertheless, there I was standing in my underwear and staring back at me was a face that looked exactly like mine from the medicine cabinet mirror. This is what I saw. I first saw a guy with no hair on his head, when at one time there was plenty, however, I was not fretting. As I peered closer and even closer at that face, I notice that my eyes were kind of blue. It appeared that I was wearing contacts. 

I never wore contacts in my life. My skin had aged, my jaws had kind of sunken in and that made me look older. My aging forehead still hung over my eyes. The kids at my grammar school, when I attended, use to tease me by saying that I had my own eye shade from the blazing sun. I hardly paid it much attention then and I still do not pay it much attention now. Still looking at my face in the mirror, it occurred to me that face was the face of someone holding in some deep thoughts about almost everything. A face of someone who is friendly, understanding, and super creative. That face is the face of a father, provider, and a leader. As I continued to pour over my one and only face, I saw someone who will always strive to do the best that he can, all the time. I saw someone who is his own man. No one owns me. This face does what it wants. This face is a face of someone who will not be controlled. It is a face of someone who still have dreams. And also, I saw someone who is not so good looking anymore. I saw someone who wants to get married again. I saw someone who will 

try to get along with everyone. I saw someone with a fiery temper, at times. I saw someone who was still trying to look young with very little hope of that. I saw a strong face, a face I’m very proud of and counting. I see the face of a loving individual.

I saw a track where many of my tears had fallen. This face once again told me that I needed a shave. After flushing the toilet again, I was on my way back to bed to try and forget about what I just seen, however, it was all good and very interesting. This face will be back again.

George Wilder Jr. 

www.amazon.com/author/gwilder

Reading Under Siege!

Polls keep showing that more and more people in today's world read less and less. Some recent polls estimated that about 25% of United States families did not read a book in the last year. I have even seen some studies put the number as high as 80%. 

Many factors contribute to the lowering reading rates. I will list some of the most major ones. 

Television - Though television may seem simple in comparison to more elaborate technology, it did not even become commercially available until the 1930s. Nowadays, you can find televisions all over the place. Almost every householdin the developed world has one or more. Families eat dinner in front of them instead of at a table. Time put towards television has replaced time put towards sports, family games, study, and of course reading. The addictive television appeals to our laziness, sloth, and short-sightedness. Instead of stimulating our mind with books, we choose to rot our minds in front of a television. Ironically, in the long-term, the reader often feels more fulfilled and happy than the TV addict. 

Faster-Paced Lifestyle - Our culture now centers around a constantly faster-paced lifestyle. People work longer hours and then rush through their stressful lives, with credit cards, fast-food, and speeding cars. When we do take a break for fun, we look for the impulsive thrills of drugs, alcohol or TV, rather than calmer, longer-running pleasures like reading. 

Misplaced Values - We do not value education and intellectuality much anymore. Instead, we value entertainment and athletics. Perhaps it is because technology and development have eliminated a great deal of our need for intelligence. Perhaps we feel secure that our needs have been met and feel that we no longer need to work as a society towards major goals. As a result, we just want to lay back and gossip about Paris Hilton and cheer for our favorite sports team. 

Whatever the reasons, most people in our society have given up on reading for the most part. If you don't already, I encourage you to consider reading more. Also, consider slowing your life down, giving up television, and reassessing your values. Consider giving up unhealthy and short-term pleasures like television for long-term pleasures like reading. In 5 years, will you wish you watched more television, or will you wish you read more? 

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun! 

NO SECRET

For me, nothing secret, I keep my future writings right up here inside my  head, there is no other better place to keep and track of what I write, a place where i can always find what I need, if and when I need too. I love them all, finding the time to work on everything can be a little tricky.A writer is what I am. I would like that placed on my tombstone.

What!!

If the Rev. Johnny Banks Sr. had his way, parents would be financially responsible for the misdeeds of their children.

The minister said he plans to lobby state lawmakers to create legislation that would make parents financially responsible for their children under age 18. Such a law, he said, would help reduce crime and truancy.

"I cannot understand why society does not hold parents responsible for the actions of their children," said Banks, a father of six and executive director of the nonprofit A Knock At Midnight.

Imagine how the number of shootings in Chicago could drop "if parents [of the shooter] had to pay the medical expenses for the victim and reimburse the city for police man hours," he said.

Parents attending a Monday workshop at the organization's headquarters, 400 W. 76th St., had mixed reactions about Banks' idea.

"I really believe that that would be a good thing because parenting should come from the home and not the streets. I think if parents were held accountable all this crime out here would stop," said Lisa Wilson, a 51-year-old Englewood resident and mother of three adult children.

She added that such legislation would also push parents to make sure their teenage children go to school.

But James Johnson, a 45-year-old Auburn Gresham resident and father of five, said Banks' suggestion is "ridiculous."

"You cannot control some teenagers. You can only teach your children so much and go so far with them," Johnson said. He added that parents may not have the means to pay for their children's mistakes.

Banks had an answer for that, saying that if parents did not have the means, their wages should be garnisheed, a lien placed against any property they own or their tax refunds intercepted.

"This debt should be treated like any other debt owed. I guarantee you parents would police their children more if they were the ones paying for their mishaps," Banks said. "And that old argument that parents are too poor to pay is not true. There's a difference between being poor and broke."

Banks said any parents needing fresh ideas on how to better monitor their children should attend his organization's free parenting classes from 6:30-8 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Most of the parents who attend the classes are young mothers, although Banks said about 20 percent are men. Among the things taught at the classes are the difference between "modern" and traditional parenting,conflict resolution, time management, relationship-building between both parents and anger management.

In March, Banks attended a meeting at William Harper High School for parents whose children were truant and offered every truant student who improved attendance a job.

Only one student took him up on his offer, and that student is working at Harper as an assistant in the athletic department, Banks said.

"I should have made the job offer to the parents instead. I'll bet that would have produced better results," Banks said.

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