Old School

When you care about someone a lot, you may not want to say anything that could hurt them, even if it is something that they need to hear.

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth-- a stranger, and not your own lips. A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who is able to stand before jealousy? Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts, but profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent; do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far away. Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad, so that I may answer whoever reproaches me. The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on, and suffer for it. - Prov. 27:1-6,10-12

In the middle of the night I found myself awake, thinking of things I did when I was much younger.

I remembered the time when I had an argument with my father and I moved out of the house.  I didn't speak to him for nearly two years.

During that time, he became very sick, and if it wasn't for my sister keeping me informed, I would have never known.

I came back and reconciled and during his final days, I was by his side, but I know that I had hurt him.

Proverbs teaches us to be tru to ourselves and to others, to accept criticism from those who care about us as gifts of that love, and not see them as anything intended to be hurtful.

Today, we are afraid to offend, so we say nothing.

In the short term, that may keep the peace, but does it really help in the long run?

I was raised Old School.  If we did something that upset our parents, we heard about it.  That didn't mean we never rebelled.  We did, but we knew there was love there, holding us together as a family.

I know there are many who believe it is a sign of love to accept whatever their child chooses to do or be, but for me, there will come a time for that.

When they are young, they should learn to obey their parents who have their best interest at heart.

Now, there are some parents who should never have become parents, but that, I hope, is the minority.

When we rebel as children, we may cut off all communication, and that is bad.  But so long as there is a thread to hold onto, we can, like the son in the parable, make our way home.

More to come...