The Island of Misfit Toys

Preface:  Last week, I wrote about holding on to what you have.  The events of last Friday in Newtown, Connecticut made that even more clear.  This was a senseless tragedy.  Senseless.  Christmas in Connecticut will have a different feel this year.  There are gifts under the tree that already have names on them that will not be received.  There will be empty chairs at the family table.  Moms and Dads will mourn the loss of their children.  Spouses will not have their soul mate to share the holiday with.  Other family members will be numb as they wander aimlessly trying to figure out the mind of a murderer.  I thought of our school and how we have been spared devastation of this time.  I pray daily for God to surround us all with a hedge of protection as I am sure others do.  As we weep for those in Connecticut, let’s remember that this season comes with a promise unlike any others.  Follow that light that shone so brilliantly centuries ago.  You may not find the answer to this event, but you will find peace.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer came to our black and white television set in 1964.  This Christmas classic was shown once a year with no encore performance, no VCR or DVD or purchase possible.  In the kid world, you had one shot at seeing this before Santa came and trust me, every single kid from Mildred Merkely Elementary saw this as an event to not be missed.  My Mom was slick as snot on a doorknob on this night, she would make the most vegetable-laden meal ever made with liver as the entrée followed by a glass of 1% milk that you could swim in – all which had to be consumed before the four of us could stretch out in front of the 19 inch Zenith console that weighed approximately 725 pounds.  Anyway, this video had plenty of memorable characters including Sam the Snowman, Clarice, The Humble Bumble (Abominable Snowman), Yukon Cornelius,  Hermie (later to be a dentist), the boss Elf (who worked off season at Amish Acres), and, of course, Santa himself.  You know the story – Rudolph gets bullied beyond belief by the group of adolescent reindeer, leaves home with Hermie who is blasted by many for his goal in life, and meets up with an explorer who somehow exists on hamhocks and guitar strings.  Not how you remember it?  While on their journey to find their independence together (oxymoron), they land on The Island of Misfit Toys.  This is the place where all of the unwanted toys go.  There is a boat that won’t float, a cowboy who rides an ostrich, a squirt gun that shoots jelly, a bird that swims, and a “Charlie” in the box, among others.  They are just left there…forgotten.  They have defects and no one wants them. No one loves them. They are perceived as not being able to bring joy to the any good girl or boy.  That is, until Rudolph leads the sleigh to the island where Santa finds homes for all of the toys where they will be loved.  Once again proving that the greatest of these is love…

When our (there is that pronoun again) building opened and I gave my first staff presentation, I included this statement about the kids: “There will be kids here that you just don’t like.  I don’t care if you like them or not.  BUT, you better love them.” I still stand by that statement.  We have kids here that don’t seem to fit in.  We have kids here who don’t dress to the nines.  We have kids here who feel alone.  There are kids here that don’t feel loved.  There are kids here that are hungry. There are kids here whose parent is incarcerated. Some of these kids feel like they are on The Island of Misfit Toys and see no hope of getting off of it.  Maybe they see our school as a safe haven where they are accepted.  Maybe they see our school as a place where their concerns are addressed. Maybe they see our school as a place where they will get the one guaranteed meal of the day.  Maybe they see our school as a place to fit in on a team or as a club member.  The common thread here is that our school can be that place for them.  Every human being has value and that value needs to be accentuated.  Find the good in kids and then find ways for them to demonstrate that.  Is that a tough task?  You bet it is.  It is well worth the investment.