Aptitude, Achievement, Processing Deficit - What Does It All Mean?

You are sitting with the professionals who know about learning disabilities. They have been explaining what they will be looking for when they test your child.

"We look for an aptitude-achievement discrepancy as well as a processing deficit," one of them explains.

Your eyes glaze over and you begin to feel you're not too smart. It's like they're speaking another language. You haven't a clue what these people are talking about.

Actually, I've always felt that special education does use a foreign language.

That doesn't, however, mean that you can't learn it. Like any language, after a while, you'll get it.

When you meet with the Pupil Evaluation Team, or the Case Conference Committee, or the Child Study Team, or whatever it's called in your area, you will probably hear the sentence mentioned above.

Let's chop that sentence into pieces:

"We look for an aptitude-achievement discrepancy..."

Your child's aptitude is his ability to learn. When I was in school, we called it an IQ. In order for someone to have a learning disability, he has to have at least average aptitude for learning. In other words, he needs to have the ability to learn as well as any average child of his age.

His achievement refers to how well he is learning, or the extent to which he has received information and mastered certain skills. This may be where problems show up.

The evaluator looks at whether there is a big difference, or discrepancy, between those two scores - aptitude and achievement. Is there a big difference between what he SHOULD HAVE learned and what he really has learned?

Let's say your child has an aptitude of 100, which is exactly average. That means that he should be able to learn things as well as any average student of his age or grade. But let's say that the test found him to be achieving only at a level of 60 in reading. That's 40 points below what he SHOULD BE doing in reading. That's important information.

"...as well as a processing deficit."

The next thing the evaluator looks at is a "processing deficit". The term "processing" refers to the way your child's brain works. Can his brain handle information better through what he sees (visual channel) or through what he hears (auditory channel). Can he remember a list of 4 or 5 things, or does he forget them quickly? How well does he find information he has stored in his head? How quickly can he process information?

A deficit in processing means that he has trouble with one of the ways his brain handles information.

Now, let's put it all together:

"There has to be an aptitude-achievement discrepancy..." The evaluator has found a big gap between your child's ability (100) and his achievement (60) in reading. That tells you that he hasn't learned what he needs to learn in order to be successful in reading.

"...as well as a processing deficit." The evaluator has found that he has a real problem remembering letters and sounds. And what is more necessary in order to learn to read than remembering letters and their sounds?

Now you know that he should be able to read like the other children in his class, but his brain isn't remembering letters and their sounds the way it should. That's what's standing in the way of his being able to read as well as the other children.

Chances are the team will decide that your child has a learning disability in reading and that he is eligible for special education services. He will be able to get extra help from a special teacher. There will be things you can do with him at home to help him as well. He will be able to receive help from people who know what will work best for him and who care enough to give him the skills he needs to be successful in life. 

For more plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.ldperspectives.com.


By Sandy Gauvin

To Test or Not To Test - That Is the Question

Little Suzy has really been having a hard time getting some of her assignments done. When she reads in class, she struggles with many words, and her mother reported at conference time that Suzy spends hours each night on homework. 

At the same time, Suzy carries on intelligent conversation, and when you ask her about what she learned from the class, she has some good feedback. She is getting excellent grades in math class and, when she does experiments in science class, she knows exactly what to do and gets great results.

You've thought about referring her for testing, wondering if a learning disability is getting in the way of her reading - a skill that underlies everything a child does in school. You know she struggles with reading, yet she does so well orally and mathematically. Should you test her?



Little Johnny can't remember his multiplication facts. Much of the time, he struggles with subtraction facts as well. His reasoning skills for determining whether he should add or subtract, multiply or divide, are faulty. And when he writes a math problem on paper, there are no columns. The numbers are all over the place. He gets very confused with the entire process as well.

But, boy, can he read. He reads books that are way above what the other students in his class read. The words in them are harder, and they are more difficult to understand.

Does he have a learning disability? Should his teacher refer him for testing? 

Do either of these scenarios sound familiar? The decision regarding whether to refer a child for testing can sometimes be a difficult one to make. There are many factors to consider, not the least of which is whether the child perceives a stigma attached to the testing.

As a teacher of students with learning disabilities, teachers often consulted with me when they questioned whether or not to test. After looking at all the facts, if there was still any doubt, I would tell them that I would rather err on the side of caution. If the child is not found to have a learning disability, at least we will discover his learning styles and how best to help him with his problem. If his does have a learning disability, we can proceed to get him the special help he needs to be more successful in school. Either way, he wins.

And who can question a win-win situation?


By Sandy Gauvin

Understanding Why Your Child Has Been Recommended for Testing

You have just received a call from your child's teacher explaining that she has noticed your child having difficulty in school. Your child is not understanding math or reading the way the other children do. So she would like your permission to proceed with testing to find out if he has a learning disability.

When this happens, it is always a good idea to meet with the teacher in person. Being proactive is extremely important to your child's educational future. Arrange to sit down and talk with the teacher to discover specifically why she has recommended this. You may want to include the special education teacher as well, as she may be able to further clarify just what they are seeing that is causing them to question your child's abilities.

One thing you have to understand is that just because a learning disability is questioned, that does not mean that your child isn't smart. It just means that, for some reason, he's either not able to access those smarts and is not "getting" what is being taught. Or, he may be having difficulty expressing what he has actually learned.

One indication that there is a problem might be that the child gets very good grades in math, but his reading is below average. He is not reading at the same level that most of the other students of his age are reading at. There is a big difference between his learning in math and his learning in reading. If he is old enough, there may be standardized test scores that also show that huge difference, and the teacher should be able to show you that information.

You may have noticed other indications at home but thought they were just "kid things". If you ask your child to do 2 or 3 things in a row, does he forget most of them? When you ask him a question, does he have difficulty expressing the answer? Is his room always disorganized? Does he have trouble socially?

These are some of the questions you might want to think about as you talk with the teacher and ask if she notices them in the classroom. 

It is important you realize that by doing this, you are not putting your child down or complaining about him or labeling him as a "bad kid". You are discussing the facts of what is actually going on, or not going on, with his learning. You are acting in his best interest.

Do not hesitate to ask questions about anything you don't understand. The teachers will not think that you are stupid or inadequate The area of Learning Disabilities can be very confusing and overwhelming to anyone. It is best that you understand what is going on right from the beginning.

When the teachers have explained the symptoms to your satisfaction, then it is time to find out what will happen from here. Ask specific questions about the testing, how best to address your child's concerns and how to minimize any "stigma" your child might experience as a result of being tested.

Remember, you are the parent. And everyone is here to help your child.

For more up-to-date plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.ldperspectives.com. 



By Sandy Gauvin

So, My Child Has Been Recommended for Testing - What Do I Do Now?

You've just received a call from your child's teacher. As your blood pounds in your ears, you hear her explain how she has noticed your child having difficulty with some academic subject in school. Your child is not understanding math or reading the way the other children do. So she would like your permission to proceed with testing to find out what exactly is causing the problem.

So what do you do next?

The first thing is, Don't panic. This referral for testing simply means that she's asking for your permission to find out whether a learning disability is evident, or, if not, how she can help your child. She wants to know 1) how your child learns best, 2) where the child's learning strengths are, and 3) where his learning weakeness lie. This does NOT mean she thinks your child is stupid or that you are a bad parent. She sees that your child does very well in many areas of learning, but there are one or two areas that are really just not "clicking".

When your child is referred, it's always a good idea to meet with the teacher in person. Arrange to sit down and talk with the teacher to discover specifically why she has recommended an evaluation. What is she seeing that causes concern? Can she show you some samples of your child's work that illustrate the problem? It's a good idea to include the special education teacher in the meeting as well. She will be able to further clarify why these indicators are cause for concern. She can also explain the referral and evaluation process to you.

One indication that there is a problem might be that the child gets very good grades in math, but his reading achievement is below average for his age or grade. He is not reading at the same level that most of the other students of his age are reading at. There is a big difference between his learning in math and his learning in reading. If he is old enough, there may be standardized test scores that also show a huge difference. Ask the teacher to show you that information.

You may have noticed other indications at home, but thought they were just "kid things". If you ask your child to do 2 or 3 things in a row, does he forget much of your instruction? When you ask him a question, does he have difficulty expressing the answer? Are his room, his book bag, or his locker always disorganized, making it difficult for him to find things? Does he lose his assignment book or his homework frequently? Does he have trouble socially? Does he have trouble paying attention? What does the teacher see at school? Ask her.

Realize that when you talk about these things with the teacher, it does not mean that you are complaining about your child, or that you think he is "bad". What you're really doing is discussing the facts of what is actually going on, or not going on, with his learning. You're trying to help him. You're acting in his best interest.

Don't hesitate to ask questions about anything you don't understand. The teachers will not think you are stupid or inadequate. The area of Learning Disabilities can be very confusing and overwhelming to anyone, and it is best that you understand what is going on right from the beginning. That way you can make an intelligent decision regarding your child's future.

It is important to find out what will happen once you give permission to have your child tested. The special education teacher will be able to explain the referral and testing process to you. Use her as a resource to answer any questions you might have and explain anything you don't understand. That way you can be informed and help your child through the process as well.

Know your child's rights from the beginning. When the process begins, you will be sent a copy of your child's rights. If you don't understand them, or if you suspect that a right is being compromised, don't hesitate to speak to the special education teacher, the principal, or the special education director.

These are things you can do to help your child and yourself through the referral process. They are all part of being informed so you can advocate for your child, and so you can make sure he receives the best services possible in order for him to have a successful, happy, productive future. Remember, it's in your hands!



By Sandy Gauvin

Strengths and Weaknesses

All too often, children with learning disabilities are seen through their weaknesses.

Like anyone else, however, they have many strengths. It is of the greatest importance to focus on the strengths that your child has and show them to other people. It will not only to help others who are involved in her life understand her better, but it will help the child herself know that she is loved and valued for who she is.

I always found that one of my biggest questions was, "How do I see all of my daughter's strengths, in addition to her weaknesses, so I can get a picture of her as a total person?" The answer lies in what is called 'quality time.'"

Here are some important way is to spend quality time with your child. 

1) Do things with her. What activities do you both like? Do things with her that she likes to do, and ask her to do things that you like to do.

2) Go places with her. You don't have to travel far. Just go outside, or downtown, or to the mall, or to a movie.

3) Sit quietly with her. Silence says a lot.

4) Hear her when she speaks. Don't just listen - hear what she has to say.

5) Listen to and try to understand her frustrations. 

6) Talk with her to find out about her likes and dislikes.

7) Know what is going on with her outside the home. Allow her to talk about it without being judgemental.

8) Provide a safe, understanding atmosphere that allows her to express her feelings and preferences.

9) Provide positive feedback when she talks about the good things she does.

10)Provide a structure that allows her to make mistakes and learn from them.

Allowing your child to have friends play with her at home can give great insight into your child's strengths and weaknesses. When we allowed Michele to have friends over, we could see that she was a great organizer of creative activities and was very social, but we also saw that she got very defensive at times. Having this information allowed us to know what to help her with. We also communicated this information to her teachers, so we could all work together on this issue.

Providing an opportunity for positive, open communication with her teachers and the other professionals that work with her allow you to get a picture of her strengths and we. There may be times when there will be disagreement, but these issues can always be worked out. Listen to the opinions of the others on the team. And don't be afraid to add your viewpoints. It is only through this honest, open communication that you will be able to see the total picture of your child's strengths and weaknesses.

To get a good picture of her academic strengths and weaknesses, the school is the place to go. As your child's parent, you are entitled to have access to her records at school. You have probably received copies of that information, but you do have the right to view what is in her records in the school office. Past and current report cards give you some information, as do any notes, reports, etc., that have been written by her teachers. The results of special education testing are also great indicators of what she does easily and what she struggles with. All this information should be in her school file. If you don't understand what those results or reports are trying to say, talk with the special education professionals who do understand it. 

Remember, your child is not just a partial person. She is not just made up of weaknesses. She is a whole person. Her strengths are a large part of her. 

Value her strengths; work with her on her weaknesses. But you can't do either of these things unless you know what they are. Take charge. Find out.



By Sandy Gauvin

Alias: Aptitude

Be aware. You may become totally overwhelmed when you get the results of the special education testing on your child. There is a lot of "stuff" on that report! And much of it sounds like a foreign language to many people.

You get one piece the results from the Intelligence part of the test. This is extremely important information, but know that it will most likely come in disguise.

One of its disguises, or aliases, might be "Broad Cognitive Ability". Another may be "Aptitude." But, basically, they are measures of the same thing - your child's ability to process and learn information. So, for the sake of keeping things simple, let's just call it "aptitude."

As I've stated many times, in order for a child to be considered learning disabled, he has to show an average "aptitude" for learning. He must have the same ability to learn as well as any other child of his age or grade. An average aptitude score would be about 100, with anything between 85 and 115 being in the average range.

There are many different tests that measure a child's aptitude. One of these tests is the WISC-III. The Performance, or Perceptual Organization, section is the part that measures aptitude. It is divided into subtests, or smaller tests, and they assess different things that make up a person's aptitude.

Another common test used to measure aptitude is the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery - Revised. The aptitude section of this test is called the Tests of Cognitive Ability, and the overall aptitude score is called "Broad Cognitive Ability". It also has smaller tests called subtests, to measure aptitude, but they measure aptitude in a little different way than the WISC does.

There are other tests to determine your child's aptitude that don't involve reading or writing. Sometimes these tests are given if there is a language problem that might interfere with getting a true picture of the child's ability.

The important things to remember are that 1) you will probably see a score from one of these tests on your child's report, and 2) that score should be within the range of 85 to 115, for the most part.

The information you get from these scores will also tell you what the child is having difficulty with. For example, perhaps he has difficulty remembering what he sees. Perhaps he can't remember more than 1 or 2 directions at a time. Perhaps he can't process new information as fast as other children. These are important clues to letting you and the teachers know what to work on with your child and how to best help him.

When you get this information, the next thing that will happen is that this "aptitude" score will be compared with the child's "achievement" score.

His achievement score is a measure of what he knows and what he has learned. These will be his scores in things like reading, written language, and math. In order for your child to show a learning disability, there has to be a large gap between his "aptitude" score (his ability to process information and learn) and what he has actually learned.

In other words, the report is showing that, although the child is able to learn as well as anyone else of his age or grade, something is causing this to not happen the way it should.

Why is that happening? When the pieces of the evaluation are put together, it should provide information about why your child is not learning the way the other children are. It will provide clues to you and his teachers about how to help him in the best way possible and how to help him help himself.



By Sandy Gauvin

The Real Problem With Todays Teenagers (And Why Most Parents Just Dont Get It!)

An address given by Rev. David B. Smith (aka. 'Fighting' Father Dave)
at the Sydney Town Hall, February 21st 2003. Dave was addressing students, parents & teachers at the Fort Street High School speech day.
"The inspiration of a noble cause involving human interests wide and far, enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of before, and which they were not capable of alone. The consciousness of belonging, vitally, to something beyond individuality; of being part of a personality that reaches we know not where, in space and time, greatens the heart to the limit of the soul's ideal, and builds out the supreme of character."
(Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, October 3, 1889)
Who was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain I might ask. No, not the one-time British Prime Minister. That was a different Chamberlain. J.L. Chamberlain was a general in the American Civil War, who fought for the North. Why mention him today? It will remain a secret at this stage.
My name is Dave. I generally function under the persona of 'Father Dave'. That's because I am a priest -an Anglican priest. Apart from being a priest I am also a boxer and all-round martial arts master. I am also a 'youth worker' of sorts.
In some places in the world I would be granted an enormous amount of respect because I am a priest. In this community, I find I receive more respect that I deserve on account of my reputation for hitting people. I personally believe that the only role in that list that really demands respect is the one of 'Youth Worker'
Working with young people is hard. I used to be a young person. I was a hard young person to work with. I was a difficult student at school. I went on to be an argumentative University student and then a troublesome seminary student. I've left behind me a whole string of academic institutions that have been somewhat glad to see the back of me.
Now I've been working with hard and difficult young people in Dulwich Hill for the last twelve years (which may be God's way of paying me back). Some of the young people I've worked with have really got their lives together and gone on to bigger and better things. Quite a number of them have died - mainly from overdoses but also from car accidents (often in stolen cars) and from suicide. Others I'm still working with. They're just not quite as young as they used to be.
People ask me all the time 'Dave, what do you think is the biggest problem facing young people today'. Most people think I am going to answer 'drugs'.
I do not consider drugs to be the biggest problem young people are facing today. That's not because I don't think drugs are a big problem. I've worked with a lot of drug-addicted young people over the years. I have been robbed and manipulated by them, and I have watched many of them. Even so, I do not consider drugs to be the biggest problem plaguing our young people.
Some people think 'violence' is the biggest problem facing young people, and I am conscious of the fact that for young guys (in particular) problems of violence can still be a major issue. Violence is not nearly so big a problem in my area as it was five years ago, but we still managed to finish up one of our most recent blue-light discos with an all-in brawl in the streets. Problems of violence are alive and well in Dulwich Hill. Even so, I do not consider violence to the biggest problem facing young people.
Some people think in terms of lack of employment opportunities as the major issue. Others would speak in terms of family breakdown or problems of prejudice - all real issues. Personally though, I believe that the biggest problem facing our young people today is something a little less tangible. Personally I think the biggest problem I see with our young people is that most of them don't feel themselves to be a part of anything that is bigger than themselves.
Most young people I meet have tragically small horizons, very little ambition, and hence live in very tiny worlds. When I ask teenagers about what they would really like to do with their lives if they could do anything at all, most others speak in terms of getting something, whether that something be a horse or a car or a girl or just 'a lot of money'.
No one I speak to says 'If I could do anything I wanted I'd find a cure for cancer' or 'I'd negotiate a peace deal in the Middle East'. And this reflects, I believe, the fact that most young people I know have very narrow horizons. Indeed, most young persons I know seem to live in worlds that are not much bigger than themselves.
Go back a couple of generations and most European Australians were ready to lay down their lives for King and country. You wouldn't find many young people today willing to sacrifice themselves for Queen and country. You won't find many young people who have any real sense of loyalty to the Queen or to the country. Indeed, if you ask most young people what it means to be Australian, you won't generally get a reply that contains any ideals.
There are positives as well as negatives in this equation of course. Strong patriotism often goes hand in hand with strong prejudice against people of other nationalities. And our Australian cynicism towards our governing bodies at least means that we're not easily fooled by political propaganda. Even so, the downside of our 'loss of national identity' means that we've been thrust back upon ourselves and upon our peers to find some sense of personal identity.
Now if you're following me here at all you may well be thinking 'Yeah, Dave thinks that because he's working with a group of no good loser drug addicts. Hell, I don't know what happened to him since he left Fort Street, but that guy has been on a one-way downwardly mobile trip. Over here we've really got it all together.' Yeah? I don't know.
One of the most depressing groups of young people I've encountered in the past few years has been at my oldest daughter's school. She attends a different government run selective high school. I won't say which one. NOT THIS ONE! When she fist started school there they asked her whole class 'what did they want to be when they finished school?', and almost every other person there, apart from her, said 'a lawyer'.
Now people, maybe I've been prejudiced over the years by the enormous amount of time I've spent in juvenile courts and in the prison system, but it seems to me that if we're really on about building a better Australia, the last thing we need is more lawyers!
Now I know I shouldn't be black and white about this, but my daughter went around and asked her peers 'why do you want to be a lawyer?' Some of them answered 'because my dad is a lawyer' or something like that, but MOST of them said that it was because being a lawyer was a 'good job', by which they mean what ?.? A job that can help a lot of people? NO! When people say a 'good job' they mean a job that makes a lot of money.
There was a time when we used to speak of the 'idealism of youth'. What's happened to that? When did youthful idealism get replaced by this 'I want to make a lot of money' mentality? Why do people who should know better want to make a 'lot of money'? Is it because you think you need a lot of money in order to survive? You don't! Is it because you think 'if I have a lot of money I will be really important and people will look up to me?' GET A LIFE!
Friends, I do not think that there is any greater tragedy in this community than a highly trained intelligent young person who has all the gifts and abilities necessary to really make a difference in this society, but who has no idea where to direct those gifts and abilities. It's like having a powerful loaded weapon and not caring where it's aiming when it goes off.
This is the tragedy: that most of our young people, I fear, drug-addicted and not drug-addicted, well educated as well as less well educated, winners as well as losers, live a life wherein 'my life is basically about me'. That's a tragedy.
One of my good friends is a guy called Mordechai Vanunu, who is still in prison in Israel for telling the world about all the nuclear bombs that his country has stockpiled. Morde has been in prison there now for 17 years. The worst thing about his prison term though was that he spent the first 11 and a half years in solitary confinement, which is one of the most torturous forms of human punishment - living in a world inhabited by one!
I see a similar tragedy taking place in the lives of so many of our young people who really have no hopes, dreams or ambitions in this life that go beyond themselves. What a small life to live! It's like trying to beautify the wallpaper in your own solitary cell!
It's this loss of idealism that I see as the greatest scourge afflicting our young people today, and my response to this situation is to teach these young people to fight, which might not seem like the most obvious solution to the dilemma to everybody.
The relevance of fighting to an individual's value system might not be immediately obvious to everyone, but I do seriously believe that pugilism and idealism are intricately linked. The bottom line is that I know that it all works.
I know that I've had an almost 100% success rate when it comes to taking in guys who have serious drug problems or violence problems, that by the time I get them to the side of the ring for a serious fight, they are no longer having problems with drugs or violence or any of those things, but have actually developed a real sense of who they are and what they are on about.
I know it works. I'm not sure I fully understand why it works, but I would note that if you go back to Plato's Republic, to the wisdom of the Ancient Greeks, you'll find that Socrates assigned a very high place to the value of 'themos', which we translate as 'aggression' or'fighting spirit'.
According to Socrates, no individual and no society is complete without properly developed 'themos'. Individuals and societies need to know how to fight if they are going to know real harmony and real justice.
The other authority I would appeal to today is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain:
" The consciousness of belonging, vitally, to something beyond individuality ? greatens the heart to the limit of the soul's ideal, and builds out the supreme of character."
Chamberlain writes this out of his experience in the American Civil War - one of the most terrible wars in history.
Chamberlain was, ironically, a contemporary and a colleague of William Tecumseh Sherman who coined the phrase 'war is hell' and I don't think Chamberlain would have necessarily disagreed with Sherman. But Chamberlain also found that, for all its horror, war had one very positive side effect - it gave people a sense of belonging to something that was greater than themselves and so it could bring out the best in people.
Of course Chamberlain isn't the only person whose seen this. My old dears at the church used to say it all the time. "What these young people need is a good war" they used to say. Now they weren't stupid, and they knew as well as anyone else that the last thing we really need is a 'good war', but their point was that they felt young people needed some experience like they'd had in their youth, where they were forced to work together with a broad range of people across the community and to make sacrifices together as they committed themselves to a cause which was something far bigger than any of them as individuals.
Fighting has worked for me (and it's less costly all round than starting a war). Maybe it will work for you too. Find out! Come down and touch gloves with me. Do a few rounds. See how the experience affects you. (just don't all come at once)
Perhaps fighting is not your thing. That's OK. Find another way to get in touch with your ideals and values. Spend more time in church. Head up on a mountain by yourself for a couple of months and just think and pray about it. That works for some people. Just don't be content with a life that has no greater horizon than your own wealth and self-importance.
We live in an extraordinary society in an extraordinary period in human history. Think about it. At how many other points in history, and in how many other places in the world, have any group of people ever had the degree of choice about the future that we have today.
Think about it. The rest of your life lies before you and you can really choose to do with it just about anything you want to! Your options are really only limited by your imagination and your genetic potential. At how many times and places in human history has that been true?
If you were born a few generations back in a village you wouldn't have had these sorts of choices. Your dad was the village Smithy, so that's what you were going to be. If you were born on a farm you were probably going to stay on that farm until you died. If you were a teenage girl you probably already had a couple of kids by now and your path was fully set.
We're at the opposite end of the spectrum now. If you decide to spend the rest of your life entirely devoted to playing your guitar you can do it. You may become a great rock star, but even if you don't you won't starve. The government safety net will still support you in the end so that you can keep doing nothing but guitar playing if that's what you really want.
If you decide to devote the rest of your life to scientific research you can do that. If that's your vision and you're determined, nobody is going to stop you from giving your life to that.
If you want to devote your life to feeding the hungry and healing the sick you can do that, or if you just want to sit around on your bum all day too, you can do that too! The choice is yours.
But this is our dilemma. Never before in human history have we had such a wonderful variety of choices before us, and never before, I fear, have we had so little idea of what we should choose.
One final illustration from a Peace March: I trust that plenty of you guys made it to the recent Peace March, and good on you. Let me mention to you one placard that I heard about at a march. I didn't see it but was told about it. It said "nothing is worth dying for". I thought that this was very clever at first, but then it occurred to me if nothing is worth dying for, is anything worth living for?
Friends, I believe that there are things worth living and dying for. Find out what they are and live them! Live your life to the full. Fight the good fight. Keep the faith. And the blessing of God Almighty - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen!
'Fighting' Father Dave Smith - Parish Priest, community worker, professional fighter, author, father of three.
By Dave