His two fine sons died, God rest their gentle souls. First one passed away ten years ago, the other a few years later. Of course he deeply mourned his first son but then he still had his second son alive in this world so he could cope well enough. Now they are both gone. He accepts my prayer with the words: ‘I don’t know if I believe in God at all now’.
His wife isn’t talking to him, he is heartbroken. He loves her very much. They got married very young. ‘Women can be very stubborn’, he says and before I can utter a word he adds: ‘The old drink’.
Bring her flowers I suggest. ‘Oh no’, he replies laughing; ‘If I arrive with flowers she would think I did something really wrong. We never bothered with flowers’.
‘What about my prayer’, I say. Taking it, he places it safely in his jacket inside pocket. ‘How about a bar of chocolate too’, I say. ‘No need’, he replies; ‘I think this here in my pocket (prayer) will be enough’. He still prays every night before he goes to bed. In the morning too. He don’t really know if God exists but he prays anyway.
‘I hope we meet again’, he tells me earnestly. ‘Me too’, I reply, ‘but most likely it will be in Heaven’. What power there is in using our natural gifts according to God’s plan!
We both laugh and shake hands warmly. ‘Don’t forget to give Molly my prayer’, I remind him as he departs. ‘I won’t forget’, he says. ‘But first I will have a few more beers in there’, pointing to yet another pub.
The old drink!!
Who was it that said; ‘Our addiction is like an eight hundred pound gorilla waiting outside the door doing push-ups’.
One who knew what he was talking about and that’s for sure!! Tale as old as time!
Our random enjoyable thought-provoking encounter remains forever in my heart and prayer.
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