I had rats as a boy, and one day, my father inadvertantly killed one of them.  The next day was Sunday, and my father was sorry that we would have to go to church - and be in front of God - before he could make things right with me.  We look at the season of Advent, where we await the arrival of Jesus in our lives.  We know that how we treat children, and in fact how we treat all people, gets passed on and on and on.  My father showed me love and he always made things right after he had made a mistake.  He taught me how to pass on the love and the kindness of Jesus.