No Hope for the Future

This is just a short followup to my post "Hope for the Future". Dalene and I were on our way to Preston to meet Paula and drop off Alexander. We stopped in Preston at a Kicks 66 / Burger King to change Alex's clothes and give him some french fries and "keps" to eat. Two boys, about seven and five, brought a tray of food into the eating area and sat down in a small booth. Moments later a girl, about nine, came around the corner, walked over to them and said, "Where do you think the rest of us will sit?" The boy said something that I couldn't understand and the girl replied (in a sarcastic and strident voice) "We can't sit here it's too small. Come on."

There were a few more exchanges back and forth with her talking in a demanding and impatient tone (remember, she's only nine at most).

She left and sat down at a table. I thought "I'll be she didn't learn that at school. Let's see what the mother is like." A moment later she walked around the corner, walked past the boys and said "Git up and git over here!" in a demanding, unkind, voice. What a surprise! She sounded just like her daughter (or vice versa).

Two thoughts. I doubt there is a man (a permanent man, commonly known as a husband / father) in that home. The way the girl talked just makes me think she and her mother run the house. Second, the boys will grow up despising women because of how they are treated by them, and never realizing that there is a way that men and women can live together in harmony, with love and respect shown for each other.

Affliction and perspective

A couple of things have had me thinking about the role adversity and affliction play in our lives. First, was the very untimely (from our perspective) death of Frank Jameson. Forty four years old, in good health, didn't wake up from a nap. Second is an assignment from Bishop Landon of the Osgood ward -- lead a discussion on adversity in the next fifth Sunday lesson.

Adversity is an element of the Plan of Salvation. It's easy to say the (and see it) in the abstract, but much harder to comprehend its role when in the middle of it.

As I read the scriptures this morning and thought about what Seth and Jessica's death has taught me, I though that the biggest lesson is a sense of perspective. It is much easier to look at some "thing" that is happening and measure it. Is this really a "big thing" or is it just a momentary annoyance?

While this enhanced sense of perspective should be with me all the time, even the ability to draw on it is a blessing.

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