Courage and Memory
I need to say some things that I’ve never had the courage to say…
You always think there’ll be more time, then one day you look up and you are facing mid-fifty, and your parents are nested well in their 70’s.
The world makes much ado about how muche time we have with our parents as we get older and that we need to treasure.
I understand that. I sometimes wish we could fish, or build engines… do the things that are enjoyable. I don’t know if we ever talked bout how delighted i was working with you on the house when I got married, or building the olds, camping Taos in ’96, the whitewater trips, or the window project in 15… but those were great times. Golden even. Gilded in memory, as I like to say.
But I remind myself that my time with you, as with my own children is something we will have in the future.
And it gets to me when I am dealing with problems in the congregation, wondering why this is my responsibility as I neglect time with my own family.
Put first things first. But what things are first? I suppose it depends on the day, the people and the need.