I really appreciated the response I received from last week's Column about the wondrousness of my life with My Emma. I want to follow up on that by looking at the various stages of life, and which of those stages may be most important to us. Some will say that infancy is the key stage because that is when a baby's brain is wide open to new experiences. Others maintain that it is in young adulthood when physical health is at its peak. Still, others will say that it is in late adulthood because it is at that stage that a person has finally acquired the wisdom to guide others. 

Noted author Dr. Thomas Hood made the point that EVERY stage of life is significant because each stage gives us the opportunity to contribute to the world. On each of the three occasions when Emma and I brought our children into the world, we always felt a sense of hope and optimism that their lives would help to make the world a better place. We have not been disappointed! Let's take a brief look at the human life cycle:  Infancy, when the child is vibrant and has an unlimited source of energy; Early Childhood, when children play and make the world fresh and new; Middle Childhood, a time when an inner self develops for the first time; Late Childhood, when children have acquired a wide range of social and technical skills that help them to solve problems and deal with everyday responsibilities. 

Then comes Adolescence with its passion, followed by Early Adulthood, when people begin to reflect on the deeper meaning of life. Then, seemingly overnight, comes Mature Adulthood, followed quickly by Late Adulthood, providing us with almost unlimited opportunities to use our experience to help others. And then comes Death and Dying. Those in our lives who are dying, or who have died, can teach us about the value of living each moment of life to the fullest, one day at a time. And so, as I stressed in my Column of last week, let's let others know that they are important to us. I am convinced that one of the greatest cravings of human nature at all stages of life is to feel important. 

This shouldn't be surprising since all of us are very important. We are in fact walking, talking, living, breathing MIRACLES, born in the image of God and bound for the Promised Land. If you have children or grandchildren or know someone who does, let them know how special they are. All too often, young people are born into a negative world, where the first words they remember hearing are "Hush," or "No," or "Who do you think you are?" Let's change these negative expressions to positive ones, such as, "Good job," "I am proud of you,' and "I LOVE YOU."

Now, to end on a humorous note:  Two factory workers are talking. The woman says, "I can make the boss give me the day off."  The man replies, "And how can you do that?" The woman says, "Just wait and see."  She then hangs upside-down from the ceiling. The boss comes in and says, "What are you doing?"  The woman replies, "I'm a light bulb." The boss then says, "You've been working so hard that you've gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off." The man starts to follow her, and the boss says, "Where are you going?" The man says, "I'm going home, too. I can't work in the dark!"

Have a WONDROUS day!