"The sweet calm sunshine of October, now warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold the purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold."
- William Cullen Bryant

Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. There does seem to be a certain harmony in autumn and a luster in its sky. Take time to enjoy it. Welcome to the October newsletter.

SHOCK VALUE

Last month, I saw a story on Fox News about a dad who called 911 because his pet anaconda got loose and killed his baby. An anaconda is a huge and very dangerous snake that grows more than twenty feet and can kill and devour a large animal whole. They kill, eat and make baby anacondas; they are not cuddly pets.

I was very disturbed that any parent would be so foolish as to consider such an animal as a house pet and allow it to sleep near a child. Both parents were arrested and trial is pending but what justice can be done? The child is dead because they had to have a pet that had “Shock Value”.

Exotic pets, as they call them are a big thing in this country. More than 10% of the population own deadly snakes, big cats, alligators and even poisonous spiders and scorpions. To own most “pets” they have exotic pet shops but big cats and other carnivores are illegal in most states but can still be had for a price. Can a child’s life be brought back for a price?

I’ve been thinking about the thought process and way of life of that part of society that loves to live on “the edge”, as they say. They are not the mainstream of society but their numbers are growing.

They start out by throwing values out of the window. They brand themselves with tattoos, piercings and studs anywhere they can find room on their bodies. They do dangerous stunts such as bungee jumping and sky diving for no other reason than to show friends how cool they are. When the thrill wears off, and it will, they get an exotic pet to show their friends how they alone can handle a certain beast. They do it all for “shock value”. How thrilling is that? Where does it end?

I honestly believe they do it for one reason. They feel emptiness like a big gaping hole in their lives and they fill it with so much garbage, like a hideous landfill. The garbage has fillers such as drugs, alcohol, and pornography like some smelly, oozing sludge. Someday, if they live long enough, they will wake up and see tattoos that have traveled south on their bloated, beer soaked bodies and I don’t care who you are, studs and piercings look severely stupid on the elderly.

I realize I’m sounding preachy and condescending but I can’t get over that story. I keep thinking of that child’s last thought. Mommy and Daddy are supposed to protect that child with every fiber of their being. But his last thought must have been that of the deepest feeling of abandonment as he cried into the silent night, “Where’s Mommy and Daddy?” I wonder how many stories like that went on before and will happen again. How many children will be discarded for “shock value”.

With common sense thrown away, and a feeling of desperation to fill a void, I have a suggestion to quench the need to shock, but they won’t like it. They need to read Proverbs, if they know how to read. They can read the rest of the Bible in due time but Proverbs is unique and has its own shock value. It’s a certain shock value obtained by wisdom.

Not only do Proverbs address issues of everyday life but they give a new meaning to the word, “wisdom”. As you read any part of Proverbs and you see the word wisdom, replace it with the name, Jesus. You will be shocked in a brand new way and the wisdom can be passed on to a child without the child having any fear of dying.

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Proverbs 1:1-4

How beautifully shocking it would be to know wisdom and instruction and know enough to pass it on. Those parents will be given the opportunity to read Proverbs because prisons do provide Bibles but the shock value may be more than their feeble minds can handle. I feel bad for them because they lost a child, which is a gift from God and I pray they seek wisdom.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Galatians 6:7