Gratitude ~ Mothers

Greetings Dear Reader,

From the outset, gratitude is necessary because no one would be here without his or her mother.  I will share a memory of my mum that has influenced my entire life.  Every time I think of it there is a smile in my heart. 

I was six.  It was not quite fall weather in Georgia but the summer heat had broken.  I was suffering under the vengeful tutelage of Mrs. Mars who was also Methuselah’s grade one teacher.  I was unhappy about school and still finding my way in other things that six-year-old boys should not have to navigate.

It was a Thursday.  Mum sent me to bed early saying that I looked tired.  I knew better than to argue.  Surprisingly I fell asleep. 

It was deeply dark when my mum quietly awakened me.  She led me into the living room where there was popcorn and lemonade.  The small black and white TV we had was on and the credits for some show I do not remember were rolling.

Then a few ads rolled by and it began.  The screen went dark, a single note pinged, then another.  And the words that would change my thinking on so many things reached my ears for the first time.  “Space, the final frontier: these are the voyages of the Star Ship Enterprise.  Her five-year mission to seek out new life, new civilization, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

My mum thought I would like Star Trek and she was right.  Even at six I grasped the beauty and depth of the show.  I have been a fan for my entire life and used it to reach out to others in need of community.

I feel great gratitude for my mum making the time to invest that weekly hour in my nurture every week.  It has made a vast difference in who I am.  It has taught me much that extends to all of life.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

Second Thoughts – A Bold Adventure

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

I always try to reflect on good things in my life on Mother’s Day that are there because of my mother.  Of significance is a gamble she took when I was six that has influenced my entire life.  It seemed a simple thing for a long time.  Then as I grew older and understood my Mother’s preferences in life, it was clear that she was trying to invest in me.

It was September of 1966.  We were living in Atlanta and barely getting by.  We had a twelve in black and white TV with foil on the antenna.  I was the remote control.  I had been told to go to bed an hour early and reluctantly obeyed.

Later, just before ten in the night I was awakened by my mom.  The house of warm popcorn and I was led to the living room.  Mom told me to have a seat on the scratchy orange herculon couch.  What unfolded was the first episode of a new TV series, Star Trek.  The episode was The Man Trap.

We ate popcorn.  We talked about what was happening on the show.  She made sure it was not scaring me.  As the final series credits rolled she explained that we would do this each week if I went to be early without complaint. 

That experiment in investing in a boy yielded a lifelong love of Star Trek, adventure, and the possible.  As a fatherless boy Captain Kirk was second only to my Grandfather in my admiration of male figures.  The series ended just about same time that my Grandfather reached the clearing at the end of the path. 

Great darkness followed but Star Trek reruns were one of the things that sustained me through that darkness until I discovered the hope that is in Christ.  The two things, Star Trek and the Great Adventure are so intertwined for me that I often ask the Father for a star ship to explore his undiscovered country.  Thanks mom. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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