Between 12 and 20….
Between 12 and 20…perhaps the eight most important years of each of our lives. Think back to when you were 12. In many cultures 12 is the year of passage into adulthood. We begin to see parents as people with flaws and we begin to see ourselves as members of a larger community.
Between twelve and twenty choices are made and directions taken that shape the rest of our lives. It is an incredibly important period of years, formative, brave, and hopeful. In those eight years, all things are possible. We BELIEVE in ourselves, in our family, in our country, in the limitless possibilities of the future.
It is during those most important eight years that we actually come together as persons, we get educated, trained, prepared, and become accountable for our destinies. Everything before 12 is a foundation. From 12 on we build on our foundation. Whether we build out of wood hay and stubble or out of solid stone is entirely up to us.
Fortunately for us as a nation 2012 comes at a time when our forefathers have laid a strong foundation in us. It is up to us what happens now in these next eight years between 2012 and 2020. Just as the years between 12 and 20 are the most significant years for an individual, the years between 2012 and 2020 will be the most significant for our nation.
So, as we pass into adulthood this year, hopefully we will learn that “there is no free lunch” and that we need to pay our own way. Hopefully, we will pick up the skills of managing a “household” budget and living within our means. Per chance we will develop listening skills and respect for our elders. But more than anything, may we learn to be leaders.
The world is in need of leaders. It is in need of a nation of leaders. It is time to mature as a nation and stop acting like small children who don’t know where their food comes from and who demand and get their wishes fulfilled by Santa Claus.
As a nation of grown up leaders to the world, we need to begin at home. We need to clean our own house and remove those influences that dull our senses and lull us into a kind of slavery to overlords who tell us what we want to hear but rarely tell us what we need to hear. This year is our year of passage into adulthood as a nation. May God give us the wisdom to make mature choices, to reject false promises and to inspire others to do the same.
The years between twelve and twenty stand to be the best years of our lives, rich and beautiful years. It is up to us. Others have gone before us and made it possible for this generation to stand here in 2012 poised to usher in the young adulthood of America. May we make this great host of witnesses proud of our choices, our character, and our courage.
Be wise, my friend.
Brenda
