Good Stuff from Joan Eisenstodt

There is a wonderful web site for books and posters for children and their parents, guardians and teachers from which I often purchase books for children in my life. I also love their character building series - useful with people of all ages.

This series asks the question "what do you stand for" and proceeds to guide parents and teachers and adult friends of children to help the children learn values.  I dare say it helps the adults reenforce values.

In the last week, I have faced one of those dilemmas about which I have had to make some decisions: stand up for what's  'right' or say that I can't do more and sit back and hope someone else does something.

It wasn't really that much of a dilemma or struggle - my signature line uses this quote from Elie Wiesel -"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest"  - and although I know that by acting, I will incur some, well, dislike, I knew it had to be done.

It's awful, isn't it, at any age, to have people not like you? (You know how it feels if you were the last one chosen for a team or the one that was talked about as being 'unlike' the others.)

In the end tho', it is not about being liked - it is about respect for oneself and respect for others and taking action on the behalf of what one believes is right.

Phew.

Sometimes stepping out on a limb can be a mighty scary place.  One has to believe in the safety net of good.