Lucille's

Maybe we should go……..BACK TO SCHOOL

     This is one of my most favourite pictures ever…….my little grandsons re-united after the first day of pre-school/kindergarten last September.

    They (unlike your children or grandchildren...the little darlings) may have been squabbling on the way in the car, but those few hours apart reminded them of their deep brotherly bond. They leapt into each other’s arms and tightly hugged.

    What about us? What quarrel, pettiness, resentment, jealousy, envy, unforgiveness keeps us from embracing those we once held in high esteem? How did we get from shared secrets, side-splitting laughter and heart-to-hearts, to silence, stuffing away memories, punishing one another with unspoken condemnation?

    Sometimes, we simply drift away from people. We move, our family dynamic changes, our values collide, we are consumed by life. Often we outgrow one another. And that’s okay. Nobody says that every friendship need last a lifetime. Many relationships are for a season in life and it’s natural that we move on.

    But it’s the broken relationships with our close ties….siblings, parents, in-laws, life-long friends that trouble us most. Often we feel helpless to begin mending fences because the other party refuses to communicate or stubbornly holds firmly to misinformation or assumption.

    Is it even remotely possible that some of the blame rests with us? Has the distance grown so far for so long that we fear ‘rattling the cage?’ Could the other person be wary also? Do you even remember what estranged you from one another?

    Bringing to mind shared experiences from the past may set the stage to mellow your emotions somewhat. Do you remember sharing a bedroom with that sister, giggling over your teenage exploits? Or what about the time your best friend proffered her shoulder and let you borrow her new mohair sweater when that young Lothario broke your heart? Can you conjure up a time when your Mom showed pride in you or sacrificed for you??

    Perhaps you are the mature one. You have faced difficulty with grace and triumphed. But not everyone has your ability to squarely meet conflict and purpose to come to resolution. Not everyone is willing to swallow pride, admit their contribution to the enmity, make the first move.

    And so maybe it comes down to you. Yes, it requires grit and prayerful approach and thick skin and a soft voice. But maybe, just maybe, it will be the start of something precious, a re-kindling of old sparks, a coming-together that will have you wishing you had made the move sooner.

    Not everyone it seems is capable of forgiveness, or giving an inch or even wants reconciliation and so you may not succeed, but that will be their loss.

    If you do succeed, it will be worth it. You’ve got to try.