“So what else does your daddy do?”
The strange boy smiled.
“I remember this one time he painted a sunset, all purple and orange, using only his toes. And he laughed the whole time.“
The evening crickets chortled too, as the boys walked along.
“So he just gives apples away? For free?”
“Yup. He gives to everyone. Not just apples, all kinds of fruits.“
They passed a blue-bellied owl spreading his wings to catch a moon tan.
“One of my favorite stories is about a boy who grew up with nothing. Daddy gave him a whole kingdom.” The strange boy giggled. “He made every mistake you can think of. He didn’t always follow the rules. He didn’t always think things through. But he loved Daddy. A lot. One time he was so happy about knowing our Daddy that he danced around in his underwear. In the street. True story. When he came home to live with us, everyone danced in the streets.”
“Another cool story is about a boy who was born to trouble. Daddy gave him a clever mind and big ambitions. This boy messed it up and down 40 years of his life. But he always loved Daddy. We sure rang the bells when he came home.”
They halted to watch a few tears of fire fall across the face of the sky.
“Tell me another… please.“
“One boy was especially bright. Daddy gave him royal position and wealth. He kept it pretty well. He tried to get all he could and he was careful to keep everything he had. When he came here to live with us, the sparkle that once lived in his eye was gone. He had saved a lot, but he hadn’t loved anyone.”
“What happened to him?”
The strange boy breathed.
“He said ‘I thought you were a hard master so I saved everything you gave me! Here, I bring it all to you!’”
“Then Daddy said to him ‘Yes, you have returned it all. You’ve made it as though I never gave it.’”
And a tear of fire fell.
“If I am fear to you then fear I am to you.”
“If I am love to you then love I am to you. “
The way you receive a gift, defines it.
—
2018 packed her last bag this week.
I asked her to leave me with a bit of her wisdom.
Here’s what she said. I thought you might like it…
If life is a game, we’re playing with our hearts and fear is our only adversary.
Fear shows up in a sharp suit with a pretty checklist.
Fear is reasonable.
Fear works.
For a while.
Eventually fear has me stalled, sidelined, sidetracked, derailed, detached, bench warming, Netflix chilling, grounded, high and dry, pigeon holed, on the shelf, on ice… asleep.
No one has ever been paralyzed by love…
What if not playing is the only real way to lose?
