There is freedom when you come to the place when you can accept that your life is totally screwed.
The Sharpshooter
One Message
Is there a different message you long to hear? One that instills hope and inspires charity; one that ignites passion and invites compassion. Is there a message that grants peace in the midst of our pain. It depends on who you ask.
One Life
Edgar was not known for his light and fluffy side. By most accounts, in his life, he had more than his share of hardships. His father abandoned him shortly after his birth and his mother died a year later. Gifted and socially connected, his gambling debts railroaded his education and was forced to drop out. His aspiration to attend West Point lasted less than a year before he was told to leave.
After the passing of his love interest, rumored to be married to someone else, he was overcome with grief and withdrew into his work. Late one evening while in is study, he had a visitor. Searching for answers, He began a conversation with his visitor, pressing him to answer questions that most would consider unanswerable; questions that would cause him the most pain.
Revlon Anyone?
Occasionally, only a coarse word can convey an ugly truth. I apologize in advance for exploiting my friend’s candor for my selfish interests.
It has been almost two months since we last spoke, his words still haunt me. At the time, I thought it was some cryptic message or was he pointing me to a reality that I have yet to experience?
I will be the first to admit that I have a tendency to withdraw from those with whom I am close when a good day isn’t all that good. I could put on my happy face but there is nothing more superficial than putting “lipstick on a pig.” Of course, it wouldn’t hurt me to spend less time at the make-up counter looking for just the right shade to compliment my sour grapes.
But those who care for us and about us, will prompt us to put our self-pity on a shelf, to look beyond the bad days and find reasons to live in the moment. Today, we can endure the challenges we will encounter today; tomorrow can wait.
One Message
The visitor didn’t offer any insight that night, he simply answered Edgar”s questions in the only way the visitor could.
- Are you here to bring comfort?
- Is there a balm…a medical treatment…that would heal my pain?
- Will I see her again?
To each question, the answer he received from his visitor The Raven came in the form of a single word:
Nevermore
One Hope
That message is this. Don’t ask advice from those who feed off of the misery of others, who don’t have your best interests at heart, and have no interest in helping you carry your burdens.
To my friend, I would like to leave you with this, “Your life matters. Your generous spirit has touched many, including mine. Those whose lives you touched carry your burden as if they are their own.”
May you find peace, an everlasting peace, in the One who gives freely, and in his presence, rest for the tired and the weary.
And about the bird, don’t let him get to you. Surely you know someone who knows someone who can take care of an annoying bird perched on top of your door. It will never know what hit him
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Thanks for reading, liking, and sharing,
Al and his faithful, but culturally isolated sidekick, Ivy the wonder pup.
The kid with the yellow hair? His name is Bart. It wouldn’t hurt you to put down your books and watch TV once in a while.