When our house was being built on the north side of Goshen, they
accidentally installed windows that were much larger than planned. If
the eyes are the windows to the soul, then a pair of gigantic,
street-facing windows are the window to the community, and oh, the
things I see through mine.
There are families slow-poking to the park, kids attempting to race
bikes with bent rims and squishy tires, people walking dogs, men talking
into their phones, co-workers clocking meetings in walking shoes.
The teenagers always grab my attention longest, and not just because
they’re so loud. I see them with their hunched shoulders and their short
shorts. They often look surly. They might be trouble-makers or
smack-talkers. They refuse eye contact. My instinct is to maintain some
distance between us. Besides, there’s no way they’d want to be bothered
by me.
Sometimes I find myself wondering, what does it feel like to believe you’re not worth the simple trouble of hello?
I wouldn’t know.
My youth was spent in a one-light town, and that was only the
beginning of our deficits. We had a lone RC Cola pop machine, a tiny
library with a single shelf of worn teen romances, and zero choices in
our school cafeteria. We didn’t even have a football team.
Click here to continue reading the rest of my column in my local newspaper, The Elkhart Truth.
Ultimately, he said, what kept him going over decades of struggle, was that he saw us as worthy.......umm....WOW!
ReplyDeleteOne of my ALL TIME favorite movie lines comes from "Shall we Dance" when S.S. says to the PI, "Everyone needs a witness to their lives!" Your friend Larry clearly understood that, even it he "didn't know what he was doing".
Very engaging and well written. Love your style, lady...
ReplyDeleteFantastic example to us all. Thank you, Larry.
ReplyDeleteI love that he had no agenda, no program. It's almost impossible to comprehend since we're supposed to be so intentional about all the things. I have so much more of an agenda than I realize. Thanks for the reminder to chill out a little bit and just love people.
ReplyDeleteGads. I'm convicted here. Thank you sincerely, for letting us know a little about Larry and his amazing heart. Even in death, he touches us, teaches us, about the value of loving those hard to love. I shall work on re-setting my boundaries........
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written as always Shannan! Larry truly walks the walk and fulfills what God asks of each of us! Thank you Larry for leading by example! And God bless! You are in my prayers!
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