Grief

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I shall go
to him,
but he will
not
return
to me.
(King David,
upon hearing the
news of his son's
death.)
[2 Samuel 12:23]
*****************************
"A lot of us felt very badly,
at reading the news, yesterday,
Lord."

[NOD.]

"Well....I guess, us over
fifty, that is."

[SILENCE.]

"Well, I guess....I mean,
particularly, if you're
AMERICAN, and over fifty."

[NOD.]

"Yeah; John Travolta
holds a special place in
our teenage hearts."

"I understand,
My child."

"You DO?"
(Puzzled squint!)
"THAT'S weird!"
(Peer up at the ceiling.)
"I thought You were
only interested in stuff,
in the BIBLE!"

[GENTLE SMILE!]

"Ya know:
like, ISRAEL,
and STUFF!"

[TENDER VOICE.]
"No,
My child."

"Ya mean;
YOU know all the
MOVIE stars,
in AMERICA?"

[PATIENT SIGH.]
[GENTLE NOD.]

"THAT'S weird!
You're always
talkin' about ISRAEL.
I wasn't even sure,
You knew where America
WAS....!"

[GENTLE CHUCKLE.]

(Pensive silence.)
"I think my favorite
John Travolta movie,
was when he played
'Michael'."

[PATIENT NOD.]
[WATCH A GROUP
OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS
READYING FOR BATTLE.]

"He was GREAT."

[NOD.]
[LISTEN TO AN ANGEL
WHISPERING COMFORT
TO A YOUNG BOY IN
THE GAZA STRIP.]

"I really loved that
part, where he made
that little dog come
back to life."

[CALM NOD.]
[PUT HIS FINGER
UNDER A TEAR
SLIDING DOWN
THE FACE OF A
MAN IN PAIN.]

"The one that was killed,
when it ran across that
country road."

[LONG NOD.]
[CLOSE THE EYES
OF A CHILD DYING
FROM HUNGER.]

"That was really sad;
and then, everybody asked
Angel Michael for help."

[PATIENT GAZE.]
"WHO should they
have asked, child?"

(Impatient frown!)
"Well.....LORD!
It was just a MOVIE!
For gosh SAKES!"

[PATIENT SILENCE.]
[SIGH.]

"And.....YOU can't
bring anything back
to life, ANYHOW!"

[RUMBLE.]

"WELL?
Ya CAN'T!"

[MORE RUMBLE.]

"I'VE never seen it!
Nobody ELSE has,
EITHER!"

"Read My Word,
child."

"What: the New TESTAMENT?"
(Squint up at ceiling fan.)
"Yeah.....but, not everybody
BELIEVES in that stuff,
LORD!"

[SMILE!]
"Do you,
My precious?"

(Squirm.)
(Grimmace.)
"I'm JEWISH."

[SMILE!]
"I know who
you are,
child."

(Squirm.)
"I'm still....transitioning."

[CHUCKLE!]

"I'm not 'completed',
yet."

[SMILE.]
"Ah.
I see."

"Yeah."
(Squirm.)
"How did we get
on this TOPIC,
ANYWAY?
I thought we were
talkin' about
John TRAVOLTA?"

[PATIENT NOD.]
[SORROWFUL GAZE.]

(Thoughtful silence.)
"I don't know why
You have to be so
cruel, Lord."

[SILENCE.]

"No wonder a lotta
people don't believe
in You. I can't
blame 'em."

[SILENCE FILLED
WITH GRIEF.]
[TENDER VOICE.]
"Why do you,
My child?"

(Morose shrug.)
(Frown.)
"Yeah, but that's
DIFFERENT. I'm
Jewish, LORD!"
(Sigh.)
(Shrug.)
"We just ASSUME
You're gonna be
Mean and Nasty."
(Squint up at ceiling.)
"And, Big.
And, MEAN."

[SOLEMN GAZE.]

"That's just a GIVEN."

[PATIENT SIGH.]
[GAZE DOWN AT
THE MOONLIGHT
FILTERING THROUGH
THE GARDEN OF
GETHSEMANE.]

"Yeah; if YOU had
been in that movie,
YOU would NEVER
have brought that
dog back to LIFE!"

[SILENCE.]

"NEVER!"

[CARESS THE FOREHEAD
OF A GRIEVING MOTHER
SOMEWHERE, IN THE
WORLD.]

"You NEVER would'a
SAVED it!"

[SILENCE.]

"Like, You didn't
save their poor SON!"

[QUIET VOICE.]
"How do you know,
child."
[TENDER VOICE.]
How do you know."
****************************
He cried
in a loud voice,
Lazarus,
come out!
The dead man
came out....
Jesus said
to them,
Unbind him,
and
let him go.
[John 11:43-44]

_______________________
In sympathy:
to John Travolta
and his family.

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