Dear Friends,
Last month I shared an “Easter Thought,” and several of you asked if I would consider periodically sharing a thought for reflection and encouragement. No secret that all of us are just under “four score years,” so help from any corner is generally good. I know my efforts to “stay the course” require added attention. So here is a word with the intent to encourage all who are “feeling it.”
Ms. Laura Eberwine. Remember her? Many, if not all of us, have some vivid and lasting memory of her. Her name alone, Eberwine. Her black high-top shoes matched by her dark clothing, silvery grey hair pulled into bun, her literary flamboyance, her not-so-subtle favoring of the boys in her class, her love of Shakespeare, the sparkle in her eyes that belied her steely countenance, etc.
I had her first thing in the morning… a less than best time to introduce distracted and tired students to Shakespeare and Macbeth. But Ms. Eberwine was undeterred. One particular morning she got my attention when she quoted Lady Macbeth, “Out damned spot! Out I say.” Then Ms. Eberwine walked in my direction asking me what I thought the deeper meaning was. I had no idea, but fear! But I have an idea now.
There is still that “damned spot” that lingers even at age 76… of broken promises, unrealized expectations, of opportunities not taken, of words too hastily spoken, of deeds partially done or not done at all. I’m encouraged that the likes of Augustine, Tolstoy, Einstein, Bono, and family and friends attest to the same “damned spot” that cannot be repaired or extinguished. But there is the One, our Creator Maker, who invites us to “come unto me all who are weary and burdened (broken) and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (wholeness) for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Have a great day.
~Wynn