I'd like this conversation to be less about individual import and more about what members of a community would find significant. We all belong to this community because of William Laurence Evans, a man who was our lover, our father, our brother, our friend, our neighbor, our minister, our business colleague, our confidant, our trustee and perhaps our inspiration.
I would like this conversation to be bound only by decency and respect. For I imagine a conversation that is free to explore a vast domain of experience, memory and revelation. This conversation may bring us tears and laughter, it may provoke deep thought and understanding, but wherever it leads, this conversation can also bring healing, comfort and peace. Finally, I believe this conversation can be a part of Dad's legacy, a prophetic transcript that because of him is left behind for all of us.
A few days ago, I received the cryptic email that Dad was entering the 'HomeStretch'. I thought to myself how appropriate that description was. You see Dad has believed all his life in the promise of eternal life. He saw himself as a sojourner in a foreign land. A temporary place that required his labor, his prophetic activities and his committed response to a Father who loved him.
I invite you now to bring your stories, your pictures, your songs, your prayers into this very public setting, to share with this community and the world.
Come along, together!
Come along, together!
A memory came to me last night. I was very young, and sick. Sitting in the rocking chair in the living room in our home on Bell Street. A mustard plaster. Sitting on my Daddy's knee. I remember the odd creak of the floor and Dad humming. The heat of the plaster, the night was dark and Dad was humming.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dad. Sue