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The True Citizen, Wednesday, December 22, 2021 — Page 5A
Michael N. Searles
CHANGING THE WORLD
If you were given a magic
wand and given authority to
change the world, what would
you do?
The notion of changing
the world has fascinated and
intrigued quite a number of
folks. There is even a list of
people who have changed the
world. Bill Gates created his
first computer program while
still in high school, co-founded
Microsoft in 1977, and by 1993
was the richest man on Earth.
In 2000 Gates and his wife
formed the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, which is
the largest charity in the world.
One of its aims is to rid the
Third World of polio and other
deadly diseases.
Martin Luther King, a
Baptist minister, campaigned
against the segregation of
blacks in the Southern United
States, was influenced by Gan
dhi, and believed in peaceful
protest. He won the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1964. King was
assassinated in 1968, but will
always be remembered for his
dignified, passive resistance to
an unjust society.
Nelson Mandela dedicated
his life to the fight against
apartheid that kept black and
white South Africans apart
and denied black citizens the
vote. He was imprisoned in
1964 for his aggressive oppo
sition to South Africa’s racist
government and was held for
26 years. In 1990, after his
release, Mandela was elected
President of the African Na
tional Congress. In 1993 he
won the Nobel Peace Prize for
his work to end apartheid.
One person can make a
change and sometimes that
change impacts the world.
Change of this magnitude re
quires reflection and a desire to
make a difference in the lives
of others. Michael Jackson
performed a song as a dedica
tion to a young Japanese boy
named YoshiakiOgiwara. Yo-
shiaki was kidnapped and later
found dead. Incidents of this
nature are rare in Japan and it
attracted worldwide attention.
There were certain ironies in
the case since Yoshiaki par
ents were not affluent and had
little money to pay a ransom.
The killing of the boy seemed
random and disconnected from
reality. It was this situation that
motivated Michael Jackson to
record “Man in the Mirror.”
“I’m starting with the man
in the mirror; I’m asking him
to change his ways; And no
message could’ve been any
clearer. If they wanna make
the world a better place; Take a
look at yourself and then make
a change.”
Self-reflection is always
a good place to start. Self
reflection is defined as a mental
process you can use to grow
your understanding of who you
are, what your values are, and
why you think, feel, and act
the way you do. There are sev
eral levels of self-awareness:
Physical, Mental, Emotional,
and Spiritual. For believers,
the need for God to lead us to
a higher spiritual awakening
is an acknowledgement of
our moral weakness. Jesus
says, “The poor in spirit are
blessed!” This is where the
blessing of God begins. To be
poor in spirit is the gateway
to all blessings. Without this,
no other blessings are within
your reach.
We need search no fur
ther than the Beatitudes in
Matthew 5:3-12. Beatitudes
have been defined as supreme
blessedness or blessing of the
highest kind —consummate
bliss. The beatitudes reveal
eight qualities that bring God's
blessing: meek
ness and mercy,
poorness in spirit SEARLES,
and purity of 12A
Ronda Rich
THE ANGEL CALLED ALBERT
SEE
It now has been many Christ
mases ago. Perhaps it was 12
years. Or thirteen. Or even 14.
While I have lost count of
the Christmases that have
come and gone between now
and back then, I have never
forgotten him. His sweet face
lingers in my memory like the
scent of a fresh-cut pine that
fragrances a room, long after
the sparkling lights and orna
ments have been hung.
For a few years, I flew to
Carson City, Nevada, for a
Christmas party that my friends
Bill and Virgie hosted. Their
lovely home sits high on a
hill overlooking the capitol
city and, at night, presents a
gorgeous view of bright lights
twinkling below. It is not an
overstatement to say that their
Christmas parties, which have
ceased to be, were the top invi
tation on Carson City’s social
calendar.
But as Miss Virgie says,
“Yes, those parties were grand
but, remember, we are in Car-
son City not New York or Paris.
There isn’t much competition
to be the grandest.”
The men wore tuxes. The
women wore fabulous gowns
with rhinestones and feathers.
A string trio played. Silver and
crystal sparkled. Miss Virgie, a
Mississippi native, presented
Southern hospitality and food
at its best. It was the second
Sunday night in December and
people marked their calendars
for it.
I always went for the week
end, taking a flight that con
nected through Salt Lake City.
Then, I’d board a puddle jump
er into Reno where Bill would
meet me.
One year, a blizzard trapped
me overnight in Salt Lake.
The airline shuttled stranded
passengers to a faux Tudor inn
and gave us a meal voucher. I
arrived three hours before the
party began and flew out at 10
the next morning.
The following year, my flight
landed in Salt Lake City in yet
another blinding snowstorm.
As I lugged my carry-on to sev
eral departure gates smashed
together - for small jets and
prop planes - I looked out
the floor-to-ceiling windows
and sighed. It was a darkly
gray day, lightened only by
the millions of snowflakes
that swirled furiously around,
bumping into each other.
“Great,” I thought. “Another
night in Utah on a lumpy mat
tress.”
Seconds later, I saw him. He
was about 30, Asian, slightly
chunky, and was propelling his
wheelchair by hand. My eyes
met his. I smiled.
“Hello,” I said as we passed.
“Merry Christmas!”
There was an eagerness to
his reply and the light on his
face brightened the dismal
day. To quote the world’s best
selling book, “The glory of the
Lord shone round about them.”
My flight painfully delayed,
I was flipping through a maga
zine when the young man
rolled his wheelchair to a stop
next to me.
“Hello, again!” His smile
was blinding. “My name is
Albert.”
I introduced myself and we
chatted. Suddenly, he grew
silent. His eyes drilled deeply
into mine. He leaned forward
then spoke.
“Are you...” he paused, his
eyes widening. “Are
you an...” he took a
breath. “Angel?” RICH,
Albert’s voice was 12A
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