Of Gods and Grandfathers

A local parent and grandfather writes:

The only part of that whole story of the existence of God, the all-seeing, all-known Heavenly Father, that resonates with truth for me is that , it seems, Jesus died, childless, upon a cross.  That suggests that God was never a grandfather and that I can believe.

If God were a grandfather, no child in this world would go to bed hungry or cold. No child would awaken to the prospect of starvation or disease in a refugee camp, slum or unsanitary hovel.  Grandfathers don't let that happen to grandchildren; not to their own nor to others, anywhere.  If God were a grandfather, neither would he.

If God were a grandfather, no child would be bullied at school because of his weight, appearance, personality, cultural or ethnic  background, mannerisms or sexual orientation.  Grandparents can be brought to weeping ~ just thinking of such cruelties.  God would weep, too ~ if he were a grandfather.

If God were a grandfather, every child's game would end in a hard-fought draw in which every young player gave their best, played well and scored the winning goal.  No child would ever walk away from a game choking back those sad, stalwart tears  of  disappointment  that being on the losing side brings.

Grandparents are rendered bereft and heartbroken by that look.  Given the power of deity, grandfathers would banish it from the earth.

If God were a grandfather, the prayers and pleas of his grandchildren for victory or favour over another in any sporting or competitive endeavour would go unanswered, unrewarded and perhaps even earn a stern grand-fatherly finger-wag.  Grandfatherly finger-wagging is one of the more effective tools with selfish or disobedient grandchildren.

If God were a grandfather, he might try it with some football, soccer and basketball superstars who pray and beseech  so arrogantly and so selfishly in search of heavenly indulgence.  Of course, if God were a grandparent, he would not let his grandchildren play professional hockey, ever.

If God were a grandfather, all wars would end immediately.  Every grand-child would go home safe and nobody's grandchildren would be made to kill each other ever again.  Every soldier who has died in every war, on every side, was somebody's grandchild. Any grandparent will tell you that one more senseless death of one more grandchild will be one too many. Grandparents mourn and understand the torment of every other grandparent who has suffered that loss.  God, as a grandparent would not allow that  to happen.

If God were a grandfather, child soldiers would not exist, their captors and tormenters banished to a new and more awful level of hell.  Perhaps the existence of all soldiers might be reconsidered by a grandfatherly God.

Girls and young women would go to school freely and happily.  Grandfathers would drive the school bus, keeping them safe  from acid attacks, beatings and the brutal repression of their right to knowledge and education; their right to  childhood.  The perpetrators of such callous brutality?  Press-ganged and shipped to that same level of hell. Grandfathers would happily drive that bus too!

If God were a grandfather, our world might look entirely different from the world we see around us.  When I look about me at a world filled with...hunger, cruelty, hatred, vanity, cheating, pain, unnecessary suffering and death...too often and sadly, in the name of God the Father and his Son,I am forced to conclude that:  perhaps we simply have too many gods  and not enough grandfathers.

A Father’s Wish

(from one of my ardent followers)

Recently, I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. The departure was announced.  Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the father said, “I love you and I wish you enough.” The daughter replied, “Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed.  I wish you enough too, Dad!”  They kissed and the daughter left.

The father walked over to the window where I was seated.  Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry.  I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?”

“Yes, I have,” I replied.  “Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?”

“I am old and she lives so far away.  I have challenges ahead and the reality is ~ the next trip back will be for my funeral,” he said.

“When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough’…may I ask what that means?”

He began to smile.  “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations.  My parents would say it to everyone.”  He paused a moment  and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and  he smiled even more.  “When we said, ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.”  Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory:

     I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright, no matter how gray the day.

     I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

     I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

     I wish you enough pain so even the smallest  of life's joys may appear bigger.

     I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

     I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

     I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person…an hour to appreciate them

…a day to love them;  but then, an entire life to forget them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE! Live simply…love generously…care deeply…speak kindly…enjoy your latte!

Be busy doing what you love to do. To all my friends and loved ones…I WISH YOU ENOUGH!

“Any man can be a Father.

It takes someone special to be a Dad”

Crafted by Merle Baird-Kerr…May 18, 2013

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or e-mail…inezkate@gmail.com