{"id":902,"date":"2024-04-14T11:03:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-14T16:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/apastorsmusings\/?p=902"},"modified":"2024-04-19T16:48:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T21:48:25","slug":"an-unexpected-gift-of-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/apastorsmusings\/2024\/04\/an-unexpected-gift-of-family\/","title":{"rendered":"An unexpected gift of family…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
A father and son, walking, courtesy of Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>\n
26<\/sup>When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, \u2018Woman, here is your son.\u2019\u00a027<\/sup>Then he said to the disciple, \u2018Here is your mother.\u2019 And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. [John 19:26-27<\/a>]\n<\/p>
More than a few years ago, a man who lived alone took note of neighbors who lived in the house across the way \u2013 a husband, wife and young son. Even from that distance, and with little spoken between them, the man sensed that there was stress in the household: The couple always appeared to be arguing about one thing or another; from the looks of things, they were struggling to make ends meet. The man wondered about their young son, and whether the child might also be struggling.<\/p>\n
One day, the couple asked the man if he might babysit their son. More than curious about the little boy, and guessing that the couple had little or no money to pay a babysitter, he said yes. He welcomed the curious little boy into his home and began engaging him in some conversation as he tried to learn what snacks and movies the child might enjoy.<\/p>\n
That one visit together wouldn\u2019t be the last. As time passed and the boy grew older, he sought out the friendly neighbor on his own whenever he saw the man outside. The man began gathering some books and crayons and tried to help the boy with his schoolwork. No doubt, recognizing that he was both welcome and safe at the man\u2019s house, the boy spent more and more time there. As the boy became more comfortable, he spoke a little about his parents, and the man began to be more attentive for signs that the parents might not be able to provide the boy with a safe and stable home.<\/p>\n
Through the boy\u2019s formative years, he spent more and more time visiting the kind man who talked to him, read with him, fed him good food, and gave him space to share his feelings. The man observed that things seemed to deteriorate at the boy\u2019s home. His father moved out. His mother seemed to struggle more and more \u2013 to survive her mental health challenges, to keep working, to pay bills. Her behavior became increasingly unpredictable.<\/p>\n
The man never gave up on the young boy \u2013 continuing to feed him, provide clothing for him, and encourage him in his schoolwork.<\/p>\n