Three things: two funny one not

1. Last Friday I attended my nephew's preschool graduation. Have I ever told you that I am a sucker for graduations? Weddings and graduations. I will cry like a baby at both of these even if I don't know anyone involved. You just need to know that. It is not a strength of mine, and in fact is something I knowingly mock myself about as the tears are rolling! So here I am at a preschool graduation telling my hubby about how stupid it is that we have a graduation for preschool. There should really only be a graduation from high school and college, in my opinion. I think all the graduation from preschool and kindergarten and elementary school and Jr. high is all just a money-making ploy to get people to buy more crap, like cards and decoration and grad robes, etc. Yes, all the preschoolers had bought their own grad robes, that will not fit them in about 3 months?!?! Anyway, there I am complaining about how redonkulous this all is and my eyes are filling with tears as the little ones are singing about friendship, and the ABC's. Sheesh! I tell ya, I am such a sap!

2. At this graduation the teacher had the children come up and asked them for their name and what they wanted to be when they grow up. A few of the children said doctors, animal doctors, singers... you know the typical cute responses. What did my nephew say? Well it went some thing like this:

"And what's you name?"

"Kaison"

"And what do you want to be when you grow up?

"Ninja!"

I laughed so hard. So did everyone else. It was an honest and sincere answer, and I am sure Kaison had no idea why everyone was laughing, because he really believes right now in his heart that he will one day be a ninja, master of martial arts and powerful fighter! Kids are fantastic, their world so simple, and full of infinite potential and imagination! Ninja!!! Duh! Why didn't I study that?!?!? That job rocks!!! And I hear the benefits aren't bad either :)

3. In response to this my hubby said, "I hope someone caught that on tape, so that one day if he is failing a class in high school we can show him this tape and tell him 'Kaison, Ninjas do no fail history, bring up those grades.'" But the sad truth is that this idea of Ninja will transform and shift until it finds a realistic counterpart, which in my neighborhood means gang member/cholo. No longer something noble, and worthy of respect. Not something you achieve through hard work and training, but something that rules by fear, that forces "respect"through violence, that perverts honor. Isn't that what Satan does, he takes things we dream of and perverts them, and defiles them so that we don't even recognize the innocence anymore. Why can't Kaison be a Ninja? God made a shepherd a king, a murderer the leader of the exodus, a virgin the mother of God... He can help Kai do the impossible, and I will pray that this dream not be perverted by the one who seeks to destroy. Go Ninja! Go Ninja! Go! (Turtle power anyone?)