Young People Unite!

 

This is a letter to those who have recently finished high school, a mission, or some college. Who are from my ward.

I was grateful to observe the three of you speak yesterday. Watching the two new high school grads, it fills me with nostalgia as to when I was able to amble my way through high school (not that easy!) and latch on to hopes in the "grown up" world. You may not think that 1989 was similar to now, but it was, in my opinion.  Problems in the Middle East, presidential candidates accusing one another of losing their minds, sex scandals, same gender attraction issues and debates, race issues of poverty, drug overdoses, many youth just wanting to party.. drink or get high on weed, take your pick. Most of my friends thought believing in God, or even worse, a religion was lame.

Sound familiar? I am not saying that I fully understand what it has been to be a teenager in the age of social media, ubiquitous smart phones, the last two presidents, ongoing wars, a pandemic and race/justice riots, but I am strongly positing that the issues of today, 2020, are not unfamiliar to me in the 1980s. AIDS was pretty scary back then. When Magic Johnson, a bigger name than Michael Jordan at the time, announced that he had HIV a few days after returning from South America, my world was rocked as I thought he was a gonner. We had just defeated Saddam Hussein for the first time and China and Iran were still menacing...

Yet, Magic is still alive, and the epidemic of my teenage years has been abated. Some countries still seem menacing, as always. On to other things, as it were. But much of the same.

I enjoyed hearing about the families interacted with in the San Joaquin Valley. Never forget what they taught you, and never forget why you were privileged to know and love them. As Sting sings, "There is a Deeper Wave Than This". God puts us in each others' lives for real reasons. Of the four of you, I am confident that Spanish will be a significant part of your lives. Well, maybe French or Portuguese for the fourth. ? Quien sabe? They all assist each other. Keep learning.

Anyway, trying to wrap this up: thanks for being who you are and where you are. I am excited for the future, excited for you in this stage of your lives more than I was for my own when 18, 19, or 21. And in my humble opinion or assessment, I am doing all right some three decades later. I still have some goals to work on.

But, no matter what, it has been a pleasure to associate with you great youth of 2020 and be a part of something much bigger and longer lasting than the mere individuals that we are. We are a part of something that is bigger than we truly comprehend, and every person you meet, yea (scripture phrase!), every word that we learn and share in our lives has meaning and impact, beyond what we see and know.

God bless you in your endeavors! Que Dios les acompane y les cuide siempre.

Atentamene,

Hermano C., tambien conocido como "Lalo" a algunos... o Papa (con accento al final).