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The character of a person.

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lostANDfound:
hi gary, just wanted to let you know your efforts weren't wasted- you made me smile! 
some wise words here, i appreciate the "balance" of plain logic, scripture and science.  i don't have any pearls to add.  you're in my thoughts and prayers gary. 

thanks for keeping the door open for your family here on BT to be a part of your journey.

GaryK:
Thank you all for your responses and I hope others reading this topic will be rewarded as much as I have.  There are words here that I consider to be wise, beyond years, full of faith, so much so, that Christ himself must be smiling.   I’m going to roll all of it around for awhile and, perhaps, given his touch it will lodge itself in memory and become the armor needed when things of this evil world weigh down, as it does so much on each of us from time to time, and especially for those who must live day to day with challenges some of us can’t comprehend at all.   For them, especially, blessings are needed and prayed for.

I’m reminded of the apostle Paul, my favorite, who was inspired to write the words:

1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Not saying I am being fed the ‘meat’ by no means but surely there must be transitions where he takes/carries each of us over the rocks and mountains, as much as we can tolerate, just like he did Paul and the disciples and many others preparing each in stages for what lies ahead, known only to him. I believe that’s where we may get the 20/20 hindsight that Ray teaches and Arcturus has reminded us.

Thank you all.  I’ll shut up now.

gk

judith collier:
Dearest Joe, you reminded me of situations from my childhood. Perhaps your parents and their friends, ( I don't know your age) were of my generation. I was thinking how their characters were formed and by what experiences and I remembered way back when. I am 69 this yr. In all honesty I can not recall ever having been shown sympathy. I remember walking to kindergarden and was so depressed i wanted to cry but I would never had thought of telling someone because the usual answer would be, "just stop that, you'll make yourself sick" Believe me when I say people didn't regard their children as special as they do now-a-days. "Be grateful for what you have, God never promised you riches" was pretty staple spiritual food. One learned quickly not to complain. Nor was one allowed to envy thereby making yourself sick once again (in some very deluded way the gospel was preached) "I'm your father and that's your mother and don't even think about saying another word". 
A person had to turn to God or at least believe in His existence. Heaven was something to yearn for, it surely wasn't on this earth. And if you made it through childhood emotionally scarred for life at least you were toughened up for the road ahead.
love, judy

hillsbororiver:
Hi Judy,

Actually I am still an immature youth of 56 years...

I can just imagine the groans of horror from our 20 & 30 something years old members and guests as I describe myself as a "youth" but in many ways that is how I feel...

My health has been excellent (of course that could change tomorrow), I wake up every morning ready to tackle the day (I understand someday it will tackle me) and I can't wait to learn something new each and every day (but the more I learn, the more I realize how little I actually know).

When I compare my own experience growing up to what my folks, their generation and the subsequent generation (that's you!) dealt with I (and my peers) have been pretty insulated and blessed beyond what most human beings have had to endure throughout history. My generation, the baby boomers (in America especially) may very well have been the most blessed generation in recorded history (but what are we leaving the following generations?).

Of course it is all relative, a unique perspective from the vantage point of the time one is born into (no free will there obviously) and God has placed us here in a particular environment (time, place, parentage, etc.) that suits Him (and us by extension) to culminate His plan and purpose to create a perfect Family!

How do the all details fit?

Your observations are at least as good as mine but with faith we go forward confidently along our bumpy, snake infested path...

Yes, I agree totally that being pampered with this notion of catering to a child's (or anyone's for that matter) "self esteem" without regard to behavior or achievement is a recipe for disaster, my folks never mentioned their own tribulations as they implored, no they demanded responsibility from us. I never once heard from them that we had it better than them nor did I ever hear how life treated them unfairly, they never sought to gain compliance from us using themselves as people worthy of our sympathy.

Actually I never even realized that my parents and many of their friends were handicapped or were "different" at all as a young child, that is until I began school and heard some of the mumbling from other kids about Joe's "crippled" family, that is a whole other story and I won't bore anyone with the details, but it did have an effect on how I related to some of those classmates and neighborhood kids through the years (not positive). I will only say that it was the reverberations from outside our family that embittered me toward many, it was not any negative, feel my pain, poor unfortunate me attitude from the afflictions my folks endured...

In their minds they were up to the task no matter the obstacles.     

I appreciate both of them more each and every day, in a strange sense their (temporal) curse was my blessing.

Peace to you Sister,

Joe             

Dianne:
Yep John,
It seems we are all too soon old and too late smart! ;D

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