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Routt Night Thing

Dec 2005

Aw Geesh…I don’t know…

Two seniors at Triopia: Matt and Joe. Two brightest boys in class. Fought about everything. Everything. They’d argue with each other in class. They’d continue their argument at lunch. Talented actors: 8th-grade Bloomington. Argued for two day days. Swimming pool. Told them: lock door and not let anyone in. Barricaded room. Arguing about how to move the furniture. Now they’re seniors. Thank God. Different speech classes. Persuasive speeches. Nick gets out of his physics class to come heckle Joe. Remind me of Routt and Triopia. We have a rivalry for one reason: we’re so much alike. Strong community, good academics, the desire to win. So it’s joy to come here tonight. I always feel like I’m at home.

Tonight: Making decisions. I’ll be especially speaking to the youth in tonight’s audience, but you adults are welcome to eavesdrop. Pretend it’s their email.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I only had one dream… to become an undertaker…. Helped my Uncle Harris… we’d go pick up bodies, we’d embalm bodies… we’d dress and prepare them… I helped do everything but the hair.

Uncle Harris was a great guy…funny. Leg cut off.. sign. Two deaths in one family… switched heads.

Went to college… one dream: to become an undertaker. Arranged for an apprenticeship at a J’ville funeral home. One problem: Illinois College didn’t offer degrees in embalming.

Dad: teacher. Great Depression. English major.

First serious prayer of my life: May of 1971. On my knees room 101 of Gardner Hall: “God if you’re real, I need a job.” Money to pay for mortuary school. Next day: James Brim. Triopia. “Can you direct plays?” Seen one. Spring came… Didn’t know where to find plays and too embarrassed to ask. Write one. It’s been 35 years and they still haven’t found me out.

I still haven’t become an undertaker.

Mr. Maruna…..Making Decisions.

Let me tell you the worst decision you can make: To decide that it’s not your decision. To think that things just happen to you and you can’t stop them. Wrong. If the ceiling of the Martha Routt room suddenly comes crashing down …even then you’ve got a choice to get the heck out of the way. Nearly everything important in your life will be your choice.

Quest. Rick Little. Captain of football, baseball, and basketball teams. Student Council president. Honor Society president. No one had ever met his folks. One night: principal and football coach visited Rick’s home. Mother literally came through the front door. Dad: crack. Mom: booze. Rick two care of two little sisters. He had every reason in the world to say, “Life isn’t fair. I have an excuse for becoming nothing.”

I think that the worst country song I’ve ever heard: Hank Wiliams’ Jr. “Family tradition.” So don't ask me Hank
why do you drink?
(Hank) why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out the songs you wrote?
Stop and think it over
Try and put yourself in my unique position
If I get stoned and sing all night long
It's a family tradition!

Gimme a break, Hank. You’re a wimp. You’re making excuses. He’s simply saying, “It’s not my decision.” “I made a bad decision and it’s not my fault.” Actually, he’s saying, “I think I’ll make money off my weakness.”

The blame game… For to many of us, it’s never our fault. In front of my classroom, a sign: “Try two new words: My Fault.”

Hello Dolly… Samuel Jesus Primera.. Mike Stocker.

Brian: Nursing homes. Changed forever. Simply because one day he decided that it was his decision. He decided to stop being a jerk.

This is great. Tonight I can say things that I probably shouldn’t publicly say in my high school: The only good decisions you make are those you’ve prayed about. The only good decisions are God’s decisions.

I was afraid of this for a long time. To me, this was like going to your Aunt Ester and asking her how you should dress. I was sure it would end up boring. And that was the most idiotic thing I’ve ever told myself. Giving my life to Christ has been the single most exciting decision I’d ever made. Yea, I was a good church boy. Mom and Dad took me every Sunday. But it was their faith, and not mine. The day I decided to actually start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, everything changed.

Daniel: Zebco 22. In spite of his father leaving him, Daniel finally decided to pray.

I teach speech to seniors in high school. On the day your speech is due, you must be ready. No exceptions. The busiest kids I have..the ones involved in everything, are always ready. The students who have really nothing to keep them busy, are the ones who often aren’t ready. Not a single exception in 35 years. Why? Because the busy students HAVE to make decisions.

A brief word to parents: I’ve got a student I’ll call…Mark. Mark’s mother organizes his life for him, Mark’s mother schedules his life, Mark’s mother lives his life for him. She’s at school nearly every day, bringing what he’s forgotten.If she could, she’d be his prom date. She refuses to let Mark make any mistakes. As a result, Mark is nearly an idiot. He’s never had to make a decision so he doesn’t know how to make a decision. I hope that there’s room in Mark’s dorm room for his mother, because at this rate he’ll never make it.

When Jeanie was in 7th-grade: mother came to conf. “You’re going to love my daughter.” Not a good sign. Jeanie: sweet, cute and terribly, terribly shy. Tried out for first Triopia play.. Her mother bought her a special outfit, brought her to auditions, sat outside the school watching…for three hours. Jeanie..auditioned…I think. I could barely hear her. Didn’t make it. No matter what you’ve heard, all is not peace and love and happiness and Burgoo in the Triopia community. The lady hasn’t spoken in six years.

But the greatest tragedy was not our friendship, but the fact that she hasn’t allowed her child to learn to make decisions.

It’s hard for parents to let their children fall. Scar on my elbow. Mom would wince every time she saw it.

But it’s like teaching someone to sky dive without ever showing them how to land. Actually, jumping out of a plane is easy… it’s the landing that you need to learn.

I didn’t become an undertaker. If I would have, I’d have been shaking your hands beside a row of flowers tonight instead of speaking at Routt. I wouldn’t have a hole in the back of my sweater… stabbed by a young actor.

If you think about your decisions, you’ll make good ones. If you pray about them, you’re going to have a future that you just wouldn’t believe.

It’s been a joy to be with you tonight. Go Routt. Go God!

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