Rev. Dan Polecheck - Universal Life Church Ministries - The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson.

The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.

When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

"We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

But most of all I learned, that when I need to learn a lesson, God will send someone to teach it to you. Thank you Shelly Grovogel for saying yes to God when He asked you to be that person and you sent me this story.

This story also touched me deeply because I see myself becoming this frail old man.

Honoring Army Pfc. Jesse D. Mizener

Honoring Army Pfc. Jesse D. Mizener who selflessly sacrificed his life seventeen years ago in Iraq for our great Country. Please help me honor him so that he is not forgotten.

We're All Doomed

As I look out across the landscape of my own life there have been times of success and hope, and times of failure and despair. I wonder just how many people out there struggle to rebuild their lives after a disaster. How do we transform the rubble and devastation caused by the earthquakes and tsunamis of life into hope for the future?

In the nineteen-eighties, there was a popular Australlian sit-com, ‘Dad’s Army’, based on the activities of the Home Guard during the Second World War. You could readily identify, either in your own life or in what you have observed in others, with the strengths, weaknesses and tendencies in many of the characters. As with most sit-coms there was an element of truth in the ridiculous scenarios which were painted. I loved the variety of personalities portrayed, and the almost impossible task that Captain Mainwaring had of shaping that disparate bunch of volunteers into an effective platoon.

It was Fraser who dramatically delivered the wide-eyed catch phrase ‘We’re all doomed!’ The circumstances of life can come against us and immobilise us. Strong and bitter winds can blow us off course, producing a feeling of lostness. Storms can arise and shipwreck our hopes and dreams, leaving us with a sense of failure and confusion, wondering where we go from here. I think we can safely say that many men are feeling a sense of that in the current pandemic.

In order to distract from all this, there will be men who take refuge in pursuits which are not helpful, playing computer games late into the night, flirting with addictive web sites, drowning sorrows with a few too many beers or finding a sense of relief in drugs. At best all these escapes can offer is temporary respite from life’s pressures. At worst, they increase the likelihood of relationship breakdown, deeper entrapment and yet more feelings of failure to deal with. Men are notorious for not wanting to face up to the reality of what they have become. They would rather run away into the bushes to hide or wear some kind of fig leaf to cover things up.

But life is not a precise science. It is not something we can easily control. There is a strong likelihood that unforeseen things will crop up. As I write this, we’re all wondering when the current pandemic will end, longing for a time when things get back to some sort of normal. But what if it doesn’t? What then?

I read an article the other day about Garry Mabutt – a former star of Tottenham Hotspur – who has been making telephone calls to club supporters during the pandemic. He was making his 1000th call. It inspired me to make more effort to ring friends and keep connections alive. The alternative is to just hunker down and drift along, unwittingly opting to live our lives with a high degree of unfulfilment and disappointment. Do we want to leave the planet regretting our lack of connection, our failures and under-achievements, or would it be better to leave a legacy in the lives of others? If we opt for the former, then it may be that Fraser was right, and we are all doomed.