Unfathomable
She looked fondly at her six-year old son as he came in for lunch. She had planned to spend some time playing with him in their yard this morning but the baby was fretful and the phone conversation with her best friend Ethel lasted longer than expected. Maybe she would find some time this afternoon. She wanted to get some carrots and peas from the garden and maybe he would like to help. He seemed a bit out-of-sorts this week, as he had no one to play with. His friends had gone camping with their parents and Vacation Bible School didn’t start until next week.
“My goodness, Michael. How did you get your clothes and hands so dirty? You’ve even got a ring of dirt around your mouth” she said, laughingly.
“I was helping Grandpa dig up some carrots and he let me eat one. It still had dirt on it. I asked Grandpa to come in for lunch but he said he had to go to the church to visit with the minister.
The woman’s laughter died and for a moment she didn’t know what to say. The boy’s Grandpa, her father, had died over a year ago. Even though Michael and his Grandpa were kindred souls and had spent much time together this was the first time he had mentioned her father for some months.
“Michael, Grandpa is no longer with us except when we think about him. Were you thinking about him?”
“I was,” said Michael, “and then I saw him in the garden. He asked if I wanted to help him dig some carrots. And I did. What’s for lunch?”
What to do? How do I handle this? I don’t have any experience with this. Maybe the best is to let it rest for now and I’ll talk it over with my husband when he gets home from Fort McMurray tonight. We’ll figure out how to explain to Michael that sometimes our imaginations make us think some things are true even when they’re not possible. Maybe Ethel will have some advice for us as she’s raised five kids.
Just then, the doorbell rang and the woman went down the hallway to see who was at the front door. There was no one but she caught a glimpse of an old man in a red shirt like her father used to wear walking down the street away from the house. On the doorstep was a basket with newly dug carrots and green peas that needed shelling.
Her brain seemed to freeze. It was going to be a long afternoon.
D. Foth
February 19, 2021
Many thanks to Dennis Foth for providing this inaugural piece for our Living Our Purpose blog, and for the inspiration to create this blog from a former Westwood web gardener, Melissa Hathaway. Interested in becoming a contributor? Please read these guidelines.
