When my daughter Samara was 8, she wrote a poem as a song for some friends who were thinking of starting a band. When she showed it to her mom she said, “Don’t show it to Daddy because he will want to read it on the radio.” She was right. I did want to share it, but she asked me not to. It took me over a year of wrangling to cut a deal. Here it is:

The Power in Me

When morning comes and the sun rises in the east,
I think of the power in me.
When I stand up for what is right and what I believe,
It is because of the power in me.

No matter who it is or what they want me to do,
I will stand up for my beliefs because of the power in me.
When you are mad, sad or scared,
What will help you through is the power in you.

That power comes straight from the heart.
Believing is what creates the power in anybody.
If you don’t believe in yourself,
Then say good-bye to the power in you.
When I go to sleep, before I close my eyes,
I look at the sun setting in the west,
And I thank God for giving me the power in me.

The power Samara is talking about reveals itself as resourcefulness, tenacity, integrity, self-control and courage. She’s right. It’s in all of us. It’s also called character.

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org