Nobody cries at the end of movie about a guy who wants a volvo. ~ Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Dr. Williams came over last night and it was a great evening retelling our stories. If you do not know Dr. Williams, he has delivered many of the babies in the church, including little Phoebe. When she was born he raised her up in just one hand, with a huge smile—He is a brilliant man, who has been marked by tragedy… but our evening was not for sadness and we laughed at so many stories. He told of when he was a little boy and had a huge argument with friends. He was convinced that undershirts were supposed to be tucked into your underwear… which makes sense, shirt into pants, undershirt into underpants… but I rolled with joy imagining a first grade Dr. Williams adamantly tucking in his undershirts!

We also talked about grandparents. His great grandmother was born in 1880 and was still alive as he grew up. Which is an amazing span – travel went from horse and buggy to the moon (again, I must lament that no one has been to the moon since I have been a alive…). I retold how my grandfather refuses to eat homemade bread. He would choose sliced white bread while the family would eat warm bread from the oven. But as a child in the depression his mom worked at a bakery. So their meals consisted only of the breads she would bring home—Grandpa was one of the many who lied about his age to join the war, sending his checks home to his mama…

This last part of the story always makes me pause—because it is simple, yet heroic. And I wonder what in my life would compare? I have not lived through grave times. But desperate times produce people willing to sacrifice for the community—so that even the moon is not too far. And while we may have Facebook and the I-phone—I wonder if we have any connections that will lead us to greatness? Or will we wilt in the face of destruction and tragedy? Do we know how to let loose of our things for the principals of truth? For that matter, do we even know how to pursue principals?… Or are we only in the pursuit of more things?

The stories that rivet are not about trips to the store. Instead, they center on people who would lose everything for the good. Lets join this pursuit and bring tears to the eyes of those who hear the tale!