April 23, 2010
Our Children, Our Reflections
By Chaplain William Stewart

The Navy has provided for me so many opportunities and experiences throughout the years. One of the most enjoyable has simply been observing the reflection of the sun on the ocean while being out to sea. The rays of the sun just seem to dance on the water and each moment paints a new and different picture of beauty.

Reflections in other forms have fascinated me as well though. Visiting the state fair each year, I always enjoyed going to the house of mirrors and seeing what reflections they portrayed; some showing a perfect picture of what is, while others distort reality in some pretty humorous ways. Although as I get older, I grow less fond of the ones that exhibit me even shorter and wider!

Reflections do not merely come from oceans and mirrors as I have come to realize. Some of the most precious reflections we have on this earth come from us as people. I believe one of the greatest compliments a parent can ever receive, is for someone to say his or her child is a great reflection of that parent. At least when they are acting great that is! The truth is, our children usually are reflections of their parents, but not just their parents.

They are also reflections of many people in their lives they have been influenced by. Having good examples for them to follow and emulate then is so crucial for their future well being, as well as our entire society. It is how values take root and grow a young person into a man or woman who contributes in great ways to the world in which we live. It makes that well-known phrase, “Our children are our future” more real than ever.

Granted, life in the Navy brings about certain challenges in this regard, as many of us cannot always be with our families. Yet I believe those challenges are greatly outweighed by the value of the special culture in which we exist. We in the military are made up of many families within a larger family, each crucial in its own right. When our immediate family cannot all be together, each of us have the opportunity, and even the responsibility, to pick up the slack and become brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles. It is what makes us so great, flexible and a tremendous reflection of our great nation and the values we espouse.

As the Month of the Military Child continues, now is a great time for each of us to reflect on what really makes up a wonderful and healthy society. It is a time for us to truly invest in all of our children, whether our own, or someone else’s. It is an opportunity to share and to demonstrate for them the values of love, compassion and concern for all people. It starts with our children.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6