Five for Friday

Yesterday my school held an assembly in which a man named Larry Scott, the uncle of the first Columbine shooting victim - Rachel Scott, talked to our students about living kinder and better. It was a very touching assembly and it seemed that what he had to say resonated with many of the kiddos. The basic tenants of what is now called Rachel's Challenge are my inspiration for today's Five for Friday:

#1 Look for the best in others

#2 Choose positive influences

#3 Write goals/diary/journal

#4 Little acts of kindness go a long way

#5 Start a chain reaction

What's most amazing to me about Rachel's role in the Columbine tragedy is the back story. You can do loads of web searching and find out about the entire incident including timelines and history about the shooters and those who were killed and injured. Rachel's Challenge on its own is nothing new. We're all told as children growing up to look for the best in others. Our teachers and families warn us against the dangers of choosing bad influences. I, for one, remember being raised on the belief that small acts of kindness have lasting effects. Writing your goals and dreams out, the concept of starting chain reactions, while not specifically taught to me as a way to improve life are not so far fetched as to seem unobtainable or impossible. Sitting there listening to a stranger pretty much preaching about these 5 actions and how people ought to be doing them, one questions: "What makes it different listening to this man as opposed to some other?"

And of course the answer to that is Rachel herself.

Unless you've been to a Rachel's Challenge assembly or are obsessed with all things related to the Columbine tragedy you've probably not heard much more about her other than that she was the first of 13 to die that day. However her history, her back story, is nothing short of awe inspiring. She was an ordinary teenager with an overflowing love of God. But most teenagers don't make statements that they're going to die young with complete peacefulness and without any shade of depression or suicidal emphasis. Nearly 11 months to the day before her death her journal entry for the day read simply: "This will be my last year, Lord. I have gotten what I can. Thank you." She was constantly writing to her friends, her family members and in her assignments about an idealized world in which everyone spread kindness by way of a chain reaction. As a 13 year old girl, she drew outlines of her hands on the back of her dresser and wrote within them: "These hands belong to Rachael Joy Scott and someday will touch millions of people's hearts." It wasn't discovered that she had done this until 2.5 years after the shootings; after her friends and family had started the Rachel's Challenge outreach.

Several of her last poems written were of an odd nature because they mentioned the halls of Columbine HS as "halls of tragedy." One poem she wrote near the time of the incident ended with the lines:

"I'm dying, quickly my soul leaves,

slowly my body withers.

It isn't suicide,

I consider it homicide.

The world you have created

has lead to my death."

Frank Amedia, of Ohio, after seeing Rachel's funeral on CNN started having visions of eyes connected to Rachel crying onto something below, watering a plant of some kind. For several days he had this vision and finally decided to contact Rachel's dad, Darrell. Frank expressed his sympathy at Darrell's loss, told Darrell about his vision and then asked if it had any meaning to their family. At the time it meant nothing to Darrell, but Frank was not put off. He asked for Darrell to take his name and number and to call him if later on the vision had any uncovered meaning. Darrell put the number in his desk thinking he'd never have reason to call Frank back. Seven days later when the police released Rachel's book bag back to her family her last journal entry was simply this drawing:

It's a little unnerving if you think about it. A complete stranger knew of this drawing before anyone could speak of its significance. Not 45 minutes prior to the shooting taking place, Rachel was in her English class with her teacher, Mrs. Carruthers. The teacher saw Rachel drawing the image near the end of class and after inquiring about it Rachel proclaimed: "Mrs. Carruthers, I'm going to have an impact on the world!"What's perhaps the most unnerving thing about the image: If you count carefully there are 13 tears falling from the eyes, exactly the same number of victims that were shot and killed.

All I know is that it is very clear that God intended to use Rachel as a vessel. He gave her the premonitions of a short life; He gave her the strength to be at peace with her knowledge of living a short life; He gave her the opportunity to live her life in love and be secure in the knowledge that she could touch millions to their core.

It is a very amazing story and I'm thankful I got a chance to be reminded of what is needed to lead a useful life.