Fort Courage is the place I go when trying to find peace. Our children must learn to find courage so they are able to handle bullying. Teaching children to find courage is one of the most important lessons a parent and educator can do. Remember a time when you were bullied? I do. And yet those times were lessons weren’t they? I’ve heard it said that the bully is a teacher of sorts. Bullies are really teaching us  how not to be like them. Finding a place in our hearts where courage lies  fills us  with triumph. Just as the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz found the courage he so desperately sought, adults and children alike can find  their own way to courage. For courage was always there inside the Lion’s heart. The angels made sure of that.

There’s a place I go to whenever I need to. It’s not a place I can walk, drive or fly to but a place I can go to find peace in my own mind. I drove on a highway to New Mexico years ago after my daughter died. It seemed the angels had placed a sign on the way  just for me. It was near an Native American Reservation. I knew instantly the name was meant for the peace of mind I needed to pull myself to. It is such a beautiful name, Fort Courage.

That memory of the sign etched in my mind still helps me travel  the journey I am on to find peace. Over twenty years have come and gone but I know one thing for sure. All of us lose ones we love, all of us suffer pain and longing for those we must wait to see again in the great beyond.

But to find courage is a blessing. The angels have such a place in my life that I ask them all the time to give me courage and strength for the days ahead. I ask them please take me to Fort Courage. Help me find peace, the peace of knowing a beautiful reunion lies ahead..

I know a couple who went to a small high school years ago. Whoever thought of this ingenious way to have Prom in the high school probably didn’t realize they were implementing a possible solution to bullying. This is a  most wonderful idea for Prom night where  kids won’t feel left out or could be  subjected to bullying.

Students picked names to go to the Prom. Everyone has a date. Boyfriend and girlfriends have to go with whoever they picked from the hat. Those that might have felt left out or embarrassed were given respect by everyone because everyone had a date. Everyone was treated equally. The couple said to this day the high school runs the Prom this way. What a lovely thought, a way to counteract bullying. It’s a  team effort to go to Prom now and everybody wins.  And of course, remember what the angels know…the bully never wins.