Walk Together Children

Someone asked me not too long ago why I tell stories about my son Brad so often in my posts. Brad would quickly tell you he thinks it's because he is my favorite child. But Brad also thinks he is everyone's favorite friend, brother, nephew, cousin, roommate, employee, filmmaker ... you fill in the blank, and I promise Brad will think he fits the bill of being the favorite in that category. The truth is that I love all of my children equally ... sorry to pop your bubble, Bradley. But it is also true that Brad is the one of my children who somehow seems to offer up the most material for story-telling and the one who doesn't mind his mother sharing those tales with the entire world ... again, sorry, Bradley, but you are indeed like a simmering cauldron brewing up some really good stories.

I've mentioned before that Brad has a tendency to ... well ... get very passionate about certain subjects from time to time, and he's been that way for as long as I can remember. In our little family, we affectionately call them "Brad rants" ... given the necessary kindling, Brad can really get fired up on a subject. And the thing is that he's stinking smart, so when he gets going, I often feel that I have nothing intelligent to contribute to the discussion. So I just listen ... especially when his rants involve politics or economics ... I just listen and wonder at all the information that is packed into my son's brain. I mention the semi-famous "Brad rants" because this particular post is going to be my own rant of sorts ... just a word of warning in case you want to bail out rather than continue reading.

One thing I have tried to hold true to in penning this blog is that I maintain a spirit of openness and transparency in my posts, which has precipitated my disclosure concerning many areas of my life. I think perhaps I underestimated, however, the number of readers this blog would eventually generate when I first began writing in this format back in 2008. But even now three years later and with the number of readers growing daily, I still feel led to be transparent in this forum. That means that on occasion I will write a post that may offend some of you ... a post that may convict some of you ... a post that may sadden some of you ... a post that may anger some of you ... but hopefully, many posts that may bless some of you. Having said that ... here comes my rant.

My southern friends will understand these words completely ... I've been stewing on this subject for a while now. I recently received an email from someone explaining why she hadn't been in touch with me for several months. She didn't say she was too busy. She didn't say she had moved out of town. She didn't say she had been sick. She didn't say she had gotten divorced. She didn't say someone in her family had passed away. She did say that she was afraid of "catching" my depression. She did say that if someone as positive and upbeat and strong as she had known me to be could "fall" to depression, she certainly could as well and that terrified her. She did say that when the "old happy" Terrie returned, so would she. My prayer for my "friend" is that she nor anyone in her family ever suffer from a chronic, lifelong illness or fight the war of depression.

I've posted before about people distancing themselves from me, and the truth is that began because of my diabetes (which, I might add, I have learned to keep under control very well), and not because of my depression. Some would say that I've isolated myself from others, and yes, that is true as well, especially in recent months. And it is true that part of my self-isolation is due to depression. But it is also true that a great deal of my withdrawal is a direct result of others first pulling away from me. I refuse to argue the cause or effect or why of it all ... it simply is what it is. What I do want to say is this ... God commands us to love one another. He doesn't say when the person is healthy. He doesn't say when the person is clean. He doesn't say when the person is young. He doesn't say when the person is a believer. He doesn't say when the person is wealthy. He doesn't say when the person is smart. He doesn't say for a while. He says love one another. He says care for one another. He says listen to one another. He says pray for and with one another. He says help one another. He says forgive one another. He says do all those things for one another even when it's hard. He says walk together children. He says walk together all the way until the end of this life. He says love ... He says care ... He says listen ... He says pray ... He says help ... He says forgive. He says walk together children.

"Walk together children, don't you get weary
Walk together children, don't you get weary
There's a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Keep on walking when you're happy
Keep on walking when you're low.
Keep on walking through the midnight
Keep on walking down that long, long road.

Walk together children, don't you get weary
Walk together children, don't you get weary
There's a great camp meeting in the promised land.

Walking through the wilderness, the burning desert sand
Sometimes it's the hardest thing to find a place to stand, Lord.
On the far horizon where the golden sunset glows
We'll sit down by the Jordan where the milk and honey flow.
So don't you be discouraged children, don't you be afraid
Let's walk that straight and narrow way.

Walk together children, don't you get weary
Walk together children, don't you get weary
There's a great homecoming in the promised land."