In his second year at college, Martin Short, the actor, comedian, singer and writer, lived at home, helping to care for his sick father.
Here is what he says about this tragic moment: “When my dad died at the end of my sophomore year, I stopped and took stock of my life. There was this real sense that my childhood was officially over. I decided that I wanted to be an actor. I knew I was loved as a kid. The thing you can always rely on, your core person, comes from your family’s attention and love.
“When my mother got sick, and I’d see her fight to survive, it gave me an early view of bravery and what life was about. I was able to prepare for it. Your mother dies, and you’re 18, and you face a choice. Are you going to take drugs? Become a drunk? Or are you going to try to become more spiritual? Why not go with the thing that seems more positive?”
Then he thought for a moment: “Why do I tend to be optimistic?” Then Short answered his own question: “Because the alternative is just crushing to my soul.”
I had to face the same question myself that Martin Short faced. My own mother died when I was 18. She was the dearest person I’ve ever had in my entire life. I was a senior in High School. I was forced to make a choice….
Did I want to do something “to crush my soul?” Or did I want to do something to liberate my deep pain and grief, so as to feed and nurture my soul? This coronavirus pandemic is forcing many of us to make a similar choice.
Consider how a certain event in YOUR LIFE has determined WHO YOU ARE as a person, soul and body and how you have cared for your soul.
Is God giving YOU a “Wake-up Call” during this time of the pandemic?
Have you told your Pastor, Priest or Minister about these Daily Treats and Treats for the Soul? They might well benefit from them and invite your congregation to Subscribe. Please share with them what you enjoy: www.TreatsfortheSoul.org.
