5 things to do before you die

The badi blog is temporarily blocked, due to
the breakdown of our main computer.

Until it is repaired, just brief notes
posted direct to you.

Tonight's Baha'i class featured our usual Virtues
Guide lesson, a reading from Children's Stories
from Dawnbreakers, a prayer and reading, and at the
end, by Silvie's special request, a Christian book for
Sunday Schools called: "Goof Proof Skits for Youth
Minstry," by John Duckworth.

The kids really enjoy taking roles for the
little plays, many of which borrow from
popular movies and television shows (The
Simpletons) and make them funny, with a
message, reinforced by study questions at
the end. Tonight's play was The Waiting
Room, about the death of some frogs
in a biology lab, and the last question
was:

what five things would you like to do
before you die?

I was surprised at how political their answers were.

Here are 13 year old Silvie's wishes:

1. An environmentalist president.

2. Save the rainforest.

3. star in a movie

4. have at least five of my books published

5. become a millionaire

Here are 8 year old Thomas's choices, some of
which had me rolling on the floor laughing,

1. Become a billionaire.

2. Own a spaceship.

3. To take a sledgehammer and smash
Richard Nixon's gravestone.

4. Have a president of the world who is
an environmentalist and a scientist.

5. Have a real Omnitrix.

Note that an Omnitrix is a device that allows
the hero of Ben 10, his favorite show, to become
one of ten or more strange superheroes.

Also, Richard Nixon (or rather his preserved
head in a bottle) is the heavy in their favorite
series, Futurama.

He wanted a sixth wish, to beat up the worst president
in history.

Who is that?

Like another president named George, I could not
tell a lie. It is George W. Bush. Anyway, I disallowed
it, reminding him of the dictum,
"breath not a word of politics." I swear to you,
I have not instilled this in them.
I try my best not to talk one way or another about
politicians to my children.

I do not know where he gets it. Clearly, for the
next little while in this family we will have to
obey the dictum of the Ahd and pray for our leaders.

Here are my five wishes:

1. To sleep like Rip Van Winkle
for a couple of centuries so that I
do not have to see first hand what
is about to happen to the world.

2. To understand the Baha'i principles.

3. For my "system" (research collection
and organization of the principles) to
benefit the world as it is designed to.

4. To travel teach.

5. To see an end to people wishing to
take sledgehammers to graves, especially
those of Baha'is.