Morning Lord. Yes, that’s right, morning! I couldn’t believe it when my father called and wanted to take Nathan off for a little excursion this morning to the hardware shop then back to my parents’ house for some more messing about in Dad’s workshop. Says he’ll have Nathan back in plenty of time for kindy this afternoon so that gives me not only the morning but a good chunk of the afternoon as well all to myself. But you first, Lord, you first.
I tell you, I was so touched to see my father taking Nathan off. All those years between them, but it was hard to tell which of them seemed more excited. I hope this might be the start of something new and positive for Dad. I’ve seen his life erode over the years. Old photos of him as a young man show him looking strong and optimistic, his whole life ahead of him containing who knew what adventures. Instead, he married Mum and ended up, well, settling. I’m not sure either of them has been good for each other.
It seems to me that both of them have given more away in their marriage than they have gained. I get the impression that my mother used to have much higher expectations of her life than she has now. I remember her telling me that she met Dad when she was nursing, at a nurse’s ball, that she looked over at him and felt sure she’d found the doctor of her dreams, only to find out that he was just a humble cabinet maker. It could well be that she settled every bit as much as Dad did. I gather her parents were too busy trying to keep them all afloat to give her much emotional support, so maybe she married the first person to pay her attention. Now look at her – chaotic and not terribly interested in taking care of Dad.
As for Dad, he might have had humble roots but he’s always had strength and integrity. The strength has gone now in a way – I can see that Mum has chipped away at this with the way she is. He’s still got that integrity but that gets channelled into fighting local government and bureaucracy these days.
Bless Nathan’s time with Dad, Lord.
Meanwhile, Cameron is on his way to another job interview (please, oh, please, Lord, find him a job) and the rest of the family are where they should be. Be with them all. I pray.
In Jesus’ name…Amen