Dear Sentinel

with contributions from Libby Dearing, Susan Ryf Dearing, Fred Morrison, Bonnie Morrison

Dear Sentinel,

I started this poem one day at school when I wasn't feeling well. The thoughts for this poem came from ideas in the Bible and Science and Health. It reminds me that God's love rules my thoughts and comforts me.

Guarding my thoughts

If big, bad bully thoughts
Come into my mind,
What do I do?
I push them away.

Love comes in and
Sits by me and
I will let it stay.

Libby Dearing
Los Angeles, California

Dear Sentinel,

My daughter Libby was at school, manifesting symptoms of a cold or the flu, including a sore throat and headache. She asked to go to the "quiet room." As she lay there quietly knowing the truth, she began to compose this poem. She said, after thinking what the poem meant to her, she felt better and was able to return to her class. She was still feeling fine when I saw her later in the day.

Susan Ryf Dearing

Dear Sentinel,

When I entered second grade, I found a new kid in our class. When I was in line at recess, he hit me in the stomach. When I told my mom he had hit me in the stomach with his cast, she thought I should work on being a neighbor to him. We read the story about the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:30-35). A man was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho, and a band of thieves robbed and hurt him. Along came a priest, then a Levite, and then a Samaritan. Only the Samaritan stopped to help.

I agreed to try and be a friend to this boy, because I thought it wasn't much fun to have a cast, which he did at the time, and not be able to play on the equipment at recess.

So one day when were lining up to go home, I started talking about the book called The Indian in the Cupboard to one of my friends. My "new friend" was also reading this book at home. When I got home I told mom that I had made a friend of "the new boy"! After that, every day this boy and I compared progress on our story and spent time playing at each other's house after school. My teacher was pleased, because she felt we had a lot common and was happy to see the new student had made a friend.

Fred Morrison
Haddonfield, New Jersey

Dear Sentinel,

Later that year, Fred received an assignment to write a paragraph about a book that changed his life. He was eager to write about the book that had brought him a friend. His teacher from the year before called me later to say how excited she was. The paragraph had been entered in a contest for writing about reading, and Fred's entry had been chosen to represent his elementary school. Here's a copy of what he wrote.

Mrs. Bonnie Morrison

The Indian in the Cupboard

The book that changed my life was The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks. It helped me make a friend. He was reading The Indian in the Cupboard, too. It gave us something to talk about. The book gave us something in common. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Fred Morrison, Grade 2
Elizabeth Haddon School, Haddonfield

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