Tristan, Pat & Charlemagne
at story hour tonight

I was feeling a little low this morning even after doing some driving for a friend. But then it was off to a spot half way to Madison to pick up my godson, 5 years old, and his big brother, 6 years old. You cannot stay low with these two high spirited boys. Among other stops I took them to the Urban Ecology Center, always a hit with children that age with its slide and snakes.

Now the two boys are finally sleeping, my wife is reading in bed and all is quiet here in the kitchen except for the TV Brewers baseball game in the background. The darkness that is always with me is still there but my hopes and spirits are still good thanks to the two boys.

Their good and fun relationship as brothers reminds me of my two grandsons when they were young and my two sons who were also close in age and also close in relationship when they were young.

My sibling close to my age was my sister, two years younger than me. A sister and brother relationship is not the same as two brothers or two sisters but it was a good relationship when we were young. The death of my sister in 1995 was one I really felt deeply. Until the death of my own son, nearly three years ago, this was the death that left me a great sense of lost. Although she had lived out east with her husband for many years, there was something between us that had a sense of the eternal.

Still I did not work in the ‘shadow of death’ until my son died. Now more than ever I need youth around, especially young children around like my godson and his brother. Jesus said we need to be like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. Now I understand why.

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