Aug 19, 2022·edited Aug 20, 2022Liked by Jenna Stocker
“It was a house full of life -- until it wasn't.” That statement stopped me in my tracks. I had to think about it. It dawned on me that the message in the expression, for me, was not the words but the dash. Did I accomplish my intention for my children in the “dash?” Thought-provoking!
“Life goes on.” I have said that to myself many times while watching others. Attending funerals, people milling about and eating after the service, kids running hither and yon, and then people getting in their cars and leaving; Life goes on.
In the ER, after a tragedy and the remnants of supplies and equipment used are cleared, the devastated parents have left, and those in the ER, for whatever reason, are never the wiser; life goes on.
My last thought, I promise 😊 is about our kids. We, as adults, have lost or used up the beautiful gift of wonder, but we get so much enjoyment from watching the wonder in our children and grandchildren. I hope I have treasured them enough, so they pass that on to their kids.
It's ironic, Nothing Last Forever and Life Goes on.
I am a lover of quotes. Lewis, Spurgeon, Bonhoeffer, Churchill, and Chesterton are my favorites. The quote from “Orthodoxy” stands alone so far. Thanks, Jenna. You made this old girl think today. Beautifully written!!!
Thank you for such a reflective and profound response. Your experience as an ER nurse certainly brings a unique perspective to what life - and it's fragility - really means. It's easy to look at statistics and numbers and forget that each represents a whole person and a person who is loved and loves and yes, we must go on and I think most of us want life to go on after our time here ends. And that is what I hope is instilled in our children: that we have an obligation and spiritual and familial tie to each other and what we pass on to them is our and ultimately His eternal gift. Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful remarks.
You reminded me how I felt when I found the grade school I went to is abandoned and saw the pictures of how it is totally destroyed inside. Broke my heart. As for your point:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - J. R. R. Tolkien
I hope you can keep in your heart what it is that made your school so special. And what an excellent Tolkien quote. Thank you for your thoughts, David.
“It was a house full of life -- until it wasn't.” That statement stopped me in my tracks. I had to think about it. It dawned on me that the message in the expression, for me, was not the words but the dash. Did I accomplish my intention for my children in the “dash?” Thought-provoking!
“Life goes on.” I have said that to myself many times while watching others. Attending funerals, people milling about and eating after the service, kids running hither and yon, and then people getting in their cars and leaving; Life goes on.
In the ER, after a tragedy and the remnants of supplies and equipment used are cleared, the devastated parents have left, and those in the ER, for whatever reason, are never the wiser; life goes on.
My last thought, I promise 😊 is about our kids. We, as adults, have lost or used up the beautiful gift of wonder, but we get so much enjoyment from watching the wonder in our children and grandchildren. I hope I have treasured them enough, so they pass that on to their kids.
It's ironic, Nothing Last Forever and Life Goes on.
I am a lover of quotes. Lewis, Spurgeon, Bonhoeffer, Churchill, and Chesterton are my favorites. The quote from “Orthodoxy” stands alone so far. Thanks, Jenna. You made this old girl think today. Beautifully written!!!
Thank you for such a reflective and profound response. Your experience as an ER nurse certainly brings a unique perspective to what life - and it's fragility - really means. It's easy to look at statistics and numbers and forget that each represents a whole person and a person who is loved and loves and yes, we must go on and I think most of us want life to go on after our time here ends. And that is what I hope is instilled in our children: that we have an obligation and spiritual and familial tie to each other and what we pass on to them is our and ultimately His eternal gift. Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful remarks.
You reminded me how I felt when I found the grade school I went to is abandoned and saw the pictures of how it is totally destroyed inside. Broke my heart. As for your point:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - J. R. R. Tolkien
I hope you can keep in your heart what it is that made your school so special. And what an excellent Tolkien quote. Thank you for your thoughts, David.
Jenna, I need to ponder upon this essay. Well written and thought-provoking.
Thank you, Dana. I'm looking forward to your feedback.