|
|||||
 |
This week's mail brings a letter from a distraught mother whose only child is painfully separating herself from her family–and a note of encouragement to that mother from an older friend. This poignant exchange holds two important lessons. —– War’s gruesome visage snarls from flickering screens with bone-chilling horror. And with each explosion, every flash, the cost of freedom visibly manifests itself through death and destruction–right before our eyes. Not many years ago I stood in poignant reflection as a mother decorated the grave of her son killed in battle at age 18. The ever-youthful [...] The threads of our lives intertwine in surprising ways. And if we begin to gently unravel them, we may discover how they tangle in common experience. Consider this letter my wife recently wrote to her niece. We awoke to falling snow, the first of this winter. Mushy and wet, shapeless globs droop from branches like newly washed clothes tossed over a line. Just right for snowman building. Not many years ago an eager young fellow would roust me out at first light to do just that. But now he's grown up and [...] Using the lens of today (as supplied in a letter from my son) to sift through the fragments of a bygone era in our lives, I offer a simple observation for the New Year now upon us. After twenty years in the same house, having only one good knee between the two of us compels a move away from stairs. But though our home will soon be emptied of all personal belongings, we can't take everything that's important. When we moved here in July 1982, our children were young. Barrett skittered about in [...] Life has led us through deep waters of painful transition but a few times. The latest (and most difficult thus far) is at flood stage. The birth of our first child initially launched us into the rough seas of change. Her profound retardation, blindness and a host of associated infirmities complicated the journey. But the remarkable [...] With ever-loving tender care A few, it seems, do poorly fare And laying them upon His breast "Let's go to the lumber company today. We can buy wood and get some candy." I will sometimes say this to my son Barrett as he prepares to pull away from the house in his big truck and trailer. Extending a strong arm to give my shoulder a sympathetic pat, he'll usually reply, "It'll be [...] I'm trying to finalize some remarks that I've been asked to make at the funeral of a friend's father, and a question keeps coming to mind. What will cause a father's teaching to stick with his children even after his death? The answer is important. Several years ago our son Barrett had bought a new grass [...] |
||||
|
Copyright 2012 James McAlister - All Rights Reserved |
|||||
Recent Comments