Sean Dietrich inspires and amazes me! He never seems to run out of stories to tell! I started this little blog to record stories I want my kids to know about me and although I have lived almost 58 years on this planet, I can’t for the life of me think of a new story to tell each day. In two years, I may have collected a dozen…I haven’t counted really. All I know is that I admire those who are able to spin a moral out of the most ordinary of moments and connect with men and women all across the United States. Alas, I do not seem to possess this ability.
It’s funny really. I love stories. Always have. I think all of us, even those who claim they hate to read, love a good story. Especially when they are told with ease. The truth is though that crafting a good story, like crafting a good life, takes a lot of work. The one thing I have noticed about Sean’s stories is his emphasis on good lives…not perfect lives, mind you. Just plain, ordinary good lives.
I fell in love with his mother in law as he shared her last days with us through his memories of her. I feel his pain when he speaks of his father who committed suicide when he was just a boy. I think that is why his blog has been such a success. He shares all his failures, flops and fears with us so that we know we are not the only ones who haven’t quite lived up to our potential.
This past week I have been stuck at home with just my thoughts and CoVid. I would love to report that I have learned some marvelous secrets to share with my boys that will make all the haphazardness of our lives make sense. Unfortunately, being trapped with my own thoughts for days just led to severe panic attacks! My greatest insights are hardly profound. In fact, they are quite simple, which is probably why they created such a sense of helplessness. You see, I was reminded once again that I have no control over anything! Nada! Not CoVid, not the weather, not even my own crazy heartbeat! Once again, it was driven home to me that God is in control and the only pathway to peace is trust in Him. Trust does not come easily to me. I never learned to roller skate because I refused to let go of the rail. I haven’t really changed much. When I went ziplining a few years ago, the guide had to push me off each platform. No matter how many times I landed safely on the next platform, I couldn’t bring myself to willingly jump! Once pushed, I reveled in the adrenaline rush! But I never got up the courage to just let go and trust that I would reach the other side.
Like Sean and numerous others, I lost my mother to cancer when I was just a child. One moment, I was a lighthearted little girl who believed in happily every after. The next moment, I was a cold hearted cynic standing beside my mother’s grave doubting everything I had ever been told about God. After years of church attendance, prayer, and Bible study would you believe that sad, cynical little girl still rears her ugly head every now and then? It seems like the older I get, the more she wants to hang around! But thanks to bloggers like Sean Dietrich, Bible class teachers like Mac Sandlin, and the arms of my loving husband, I am learning to trust the good in this world. The plain, ordinary good people who give me a push when I find myself unable to jump.
Let Me Tell You a Story 