Its
a privelage to be part of something so wonderful as a new life being
introduced into our family and world.
I am not particularly
religious ... but have spent 40 years of my life deeply involved in
religion, and inspite of a number of regrets from that time ... I
will have to acknowledge that religion does bring out a number of
extremely beautiful concepts regarding life ... concepts that in
reality have little to do with the religion itself.
One of them is from one
of the prime characters in the Christian religion who said that regarding life
it was ...
"As a grain of mustard seed"... the smallest of seeds but grows to be a
great bush. The amazing fact that within this little seed are all the
wonderful instructions (bueprints) for a complete plant ... size, taste, smell,
form, shape, resiliance, color etc. --- Just as within this wonderful
little child Isaac, there is a beautiful plan complete with
personality, a will, a collection of the most beautiful character
traits that will develope to bless our family, society and the world
itself. As parents - foster and care for this wonder written by creation into his life ... don't try to make him into an image of our own
mind, wish or fantasy. It is this amazing diversity written
into creation that makes it
so wonderful -
Another gift I would
like to share --- from an unlikely source. From a quite
drunk older man sitting an a bar stool in a dungy side-street pub in
Cookstown, Northern Ireland.
The last evening Mireille and I
were in Ireland in April (checking out my roots) we decided to make a final visit to a
genuine Irish country pub to top off our visit. When we walked
in, we noticed a quite tippsy, skruffy older man looking out the window ..
but didn't think so much about it. It was a week night -- just a
few 'farmer appearing' men sitting watching a soccer game ... quitely drinking their
beer. I was driving, so while Mireille was finishing her drink I got
talking to the bar tender, and told him we were enjoying the music
in the background. He laughed and said we do it for old Percy (or
whatever his name was) sitting by the window .. He loves Isla Grant
and we try to work in a few of her songs amongst the soccer game and
such. I thought this was nice -- so when we left we stoped and shook
the old mans hand and thanked him for the music. He brightened
up a bit for a moment ... I'm sure he had a story .. but we of course will
never know what it is.
I had never heard of her before, but when we left I looked up all I could find by
this Isla Grant, and I
would like to share a few seconds of a beautiful song she recorded
about "Hope"- Hope
is not just distant fuzzy fanticy as religion would sometimes describe it ...
True hope is a
real life, realistic and positive possibility and plan for
whats ahead .. a goal for a journey of
fullfillment in the life we face ... something worthwhile to
strive for in the bussle and struggle of today .. It is the best gift we can give
our children.
Edgar
Listen to Isla Grants
'Hope' here |