Message from Keith de Laet, Elementary Principal

I am always intrigued to read about things that happened on this day in history.  A quick look at historyorb.com reveals that 154 note worthy events have occurred on December 16 throughout history.  Of course one person’s interesting event is another person’s dull moment so I will not list all 154 items, you can certainly look into that for yourself if you have interest, but here are a few that caught my attention.  These events took place on this day, December 16^th, in the year listed:

1653 - Oliver Cromwell sworn in as English Lord Protector

1770 – Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, Bonn, Germany, composer (5th Symphony, Ode to Joy), (d. 1827)

1773 – The Boston Tea Party

1893 - Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premieres

1897 - 1st submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated

1913 - Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week

1915 - Albert Einstein publishes his "General Theory of Relativity"

1944 - Battle of Bulge begins in Belgium

1953 - 1st White House Press Conference - President Eisenhower

1962 - David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" premieres

1972 - Miami Dolphins become 1st undefeated NFL team (14-0-0)

Days are amazing things when you stop and think about it.  They are same amount of time for everyone and there are always seven of them in a week, but one person can have a great day while another has a bad day.  It was the same “day” on the calendar for both people, the difference was the events that day contained for each person.  Sometimes the same event can create a good day for some while creating a bad day for others.  Take, for example, fans of two teams watching their teams play for a championship.  The winning team will certainly enjoy a great day, while the losing team will wish they had it to do all over again.

I also find it interesting that some days are very special and they are recognized for that at the time.  The day of a wedding, the birth of a child, or a graduation may be a day like that.  It’s a special day and everyone knows it at the time.  There are other days that can be just as life changing, but we only realize that when we look back on it.  Maybe the day when a person first meets their spouse, or the day when you first cross paths with someone who will be your best friend for life.  It may not be seen at the time, but something life-changing has just taken place.  When I look at the life of Jesus, I believe that His birth was a life changing day and those around it knew it at the time.  I also believe that His death was a life changing day, but no one realized that until after His resurrection.  We call it Good Friday now, but I believe that it was seen as a bad day by the followers of Jesus at the time.

When I reflect on this dynamic it causes me to elevate the value of each day.  Each day is a precious gift from God, and opportunity to both share and experience His love and the wonder of creation.  I think Joshua realized the importance of this dynamic when he challenged Israel in Joshua 24:15 to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, … But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  As a nation, Israel needed to draw a line in the sand and create a significant point of no return.  They needed to anchor that in a specific moment in time.  Our lives may not need anything so drastic, but we have the same moments and the same time that everyone else has.  As believers, we have the opportunity to receive each day as a gift from God, use it for His glory, and teach our children to do the same.  Every day looks the same on the calendar, but they are very different in hearts of the people who live them.