When my dad passed away in 1990, my brother and I were struggling with what, if anything, to put on his tombstone besides his name and dates. We eventually came up with "Gentle Soul - Man of Vision." Part of the genesis for "Gentle Soul" was an essay by Garrison Keillor that I had read at the time titled "The Meaning of Life." It touched me then, and I offer the last paragraph of it here now so that you may enjoy it as well.
"What keeps our faith cheerful is the extreme persistence of gentleness and humor. Gentleness is everywhere in daily life, a sign that faith rules through ordinary things: through cooking and small talk, through storytelling, making love, fishing, tending animals and sweet corn and flowers, through sports, music and books, raising kids - all the places where the gravy soaks in and grace shines through. Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people. If we had no other purpose in life, it would be good enough to simply take care of them and goose them once in awhile."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment