Bishop: An open letter to high school students

At 71 years of age I have to admit that I really don't know what goes on inside the mind of someone in their teens. To many of you I'm just an old fart with a big mouth...and that's fine. If that's how you wish to regard me, that's your prerogative. I would prefer to think of myself as a concerned grandfather who has helped to raise three kids of his own; who now has seven grandchildren - including one teenager; a reasonably youthful "oldster" who is extremely passionate about life and who wishes to ensure that others feel the same way about their own lives. In other words, I sure would appreciate it if so many of you would stop putting yourselves in situations where you may not live to see tomorrow.

Recently, Dateline NBC did a special on Taylor Marie Behl. At the time the special was aired, she hadn't been found. Taylor was a 17-year-old freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond - been there just about two weeks. They've found her now. Her decomposed body had been partially buried about 90 miles from campus. No one's been charged yet, but a 38-year-old with whom she'd 'hooked up' is a suspect. What's that you say? What's she doing with a 38-year old? I dunno, but she was. She was also smart, 'clean,' and avid about her studies. You'd never do that? No, maybe not, but if the guy didn't look 38, shared your interests, made you feel like a real person, gave you some of the things you couldn't get elsewhere, 'loved' you for just being you, who knows?

I found a hard copy. The article continues:

The papers have also been filled recently with the story of the Murphy girls. Shauna, 17, and her sister Meghan, 15 - Meghan that's the name of our teenage daughter - were driving home from a friends house with Melissa Smith, 15. Melissa's the only one still alive. Two girls; same family; beautiful; athletic; outgoing; loving; dead. The car wound up suspended, wrapped in high tension sires, and the power in the Town of Southborough had to cut just to remove tow of the victims. You don't drive that way, do you? You're more cautious than that, aren't you? Besides, that was someone else, in Southborough yet; that's not here. And some of the guys out there are saying, "Wadda ya expect from girl drivers?" Please, don't lie to me. I remember skidding through an intersection on Route 18 in Abington, just being missed by oncoming and crossing cars. Once my pants dried, I looked back and thought it had been fun. It wasn't; I was an idiot; we damn near got killed. We loved speed...and the cars didn't go as fast as they do today. They were also made of steel, not this plastic crap that many mechanics call 'aluminum foil.'

Let me make my point here: You are loved, and if you screw up and get yourself killed, you not only break your body, you break the hearts of a minimum of 35 other people. That's a National Safety Council figure, not mine. In the case of Taylor Behl, more than 400 people packed into the church for her funeral. In the case of the Murphy girls, the superintendent of Algonquin Regional High School 'lost it' in a television interview, and grief counselors were at the school on a day when school wasn't even in session...and young men and women, people like you, people your age, were puring in and out of the school building.

I agree with you 100%; there are times when your parents, your teachers, even your peers, don't know what you're going through. I-don't-care! We love you! You are a colossal pain in the ass at times. We love you! We don't want you to make some of the same mistakes we made. We love you! We know that we're taking some of the 'fun' out of your life when we say, "no" to certain things. It's because we love you! We want to see you grow up. If marriage is in your plans, we'd like to see that happen; to sit in a church and cry because you've taken a wife, or because we've lost our "little girl." We want this for you. You are our miracle and we don't wish to see our miracles taken away.

It's impossible for my message to get any stronger. You don't know me, hell, you probably don't even read the paper. That takes too much time. But let me tell you something my young friends: I thank my God everyday that He has allowed me to see my children grown up. Yes, Janet totaled one of our cars, but she and her friends walked away. Yes, Ann and Rick both spent time in the Newton-Wellesley emergency room for stupid things they did...but they lived through it. Were we strict parents? Not to hear the way the 'kids' talk about it today, although we certainly thought we were overdoing it at times.

Just in case the message hasn't gotten through...despite the times we tell you that "I'm sorry you were ever born," (sure hope you've never heard that, and we never used it, but it's out there), and despite the times that we say, "No, you can't go/do/whatever," WE LOVE YOU! Are we trying to protect you from things we know nothing about? Yes, at times, but there are other times when our memories flash back, and we're certain of what the potential dangers are, and that you have to take on faith.

I'm going to end my sermon now, but i"m going to do so with a few quotes from some friends of Shauna Murphy, and her sister, Meghan, and Taylor Behl. "She was amazing," said a friend of Shauna's. "She had the greatest (gymnastics) routines and was willing to try new things. She even wanted to sing the national anthem with me this year, and she did. It actually wasn't bad, given we are not singers." "Meghan was in my photography class last year," a classmate noted. "She was a great photographer. All of her work was beautiful." In speaking of Taylor Behl, one of her classmates summed it all up when she said, "No one should have to attend the funeral of a 17-year-old girl." Speaking as a parent, a grandparent, a former teacher, and yes, an old fart, let me add, "We really would like to have you around for a while. After all, we love you."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.