Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday November 4, 2005

A woman asked me if I think it is good for children to dream, to engage in what she termed fantastic imaginations. I assured her that in my opinion, adults should do the same. I added that adults should on occasion revisit many of the dreams, aspirations of their long lost childhood.

The Proverbs assure us that when a vision is lost, we become like old dried up prunes, we perish.

While reading an old book titled, "The Pocket Book of Popular Verse" published in 1945, I came across a little poem by Thomas S. Jones, Jr. I have no clue as to who Thomas Jones is or to his claim to fame. I do know he grabbed my attention and moved the old ticker with his "Sometimes:"

Across the fields of yesterday

He sometimes comes to me,

A little lad just back from play,

The lad I used to be.

And yet he smiles so wistfully

Once he has crept within,

I wonder if he hopes to see

The man I might have been.

I don't wallow around in self pity over what might have been, I do sometimes ask myself what I could have been had I given life a more honest shot? What if I had not been so susceptible to the pressure of peers to conform, to be sensible, after all you have responsibilities, Larry; we all are helped or hindered by this reality.

I have enjoyed a certain amount of success, enough to be envied by many others and attacked by even more who were incensed that I had climbed higher on the mountain than a person like me ever should.

Often when the little guy mentioned by Mr. Jones worms his way into my heart, I find that I am ashamed for him to see how weak and fearful I was too much of the time. How unlike my heroic Don Quixote my colorless life became.

I like Solomon's 'vision' because it is in essence the impossible dream, the quest so high and noble that it can only be achieved with divine help. Why oh, why do we humans settle for what we can do? The scripture gives the assurance that the antidote for a dried up soul is renewed vision. When you submit to the power of Christ to breathe new life into your impossible dream, you are no longer, perishing, but life takes on full bloom, and the child has a chance to see what you might have been.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2005 Use with credit.

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