Northern Magic

Yet another sad case of why we need to be vigilant and aware of what our kids are posting online. This issue first came to light with Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris posting things prior to the attack they launched at Columbine, and clues are still being left by kids. The article linked above references Jonathan's struggles with adapting to life back on the mainland after his family spent four years sailing around the world, and in the Christmas 2001 photo one can't help but notice he is the only family member not smiling. Of course hindsight is always 20/20, but still...

 

Tragically, Diane's (Jonathan's mother) life was cut short from cancer just months after arriving back home from their journey. She was a terrific writer, and one paragraph in particular struck me from her entry for Christmas 2001:

The world has seemed a more hostile and frightening place in the months since September 11. But that is not the world we came to know. Because no matter how misguided various governments, religious leaders and extremists may be, the truth is that ordinary people everywhere are overwhelmingly kind and peace-loving. If there’s one thing we learned in our trip around the world, it’s that there is no "them" and "us"; there is only "us".

Amen.

 

For more information on this family's amazing journey, visit northernmagic.com.