Just when my basket was most full the man and the boy met a
traveller on the road. It was the boy
who saw him first. He put his hand on
my handle and had the man pause and look.
We followed the man for a while to see if he was a threat, but it was
the boy who convinced the man that the traveller was not a threat. It was the boy who reached out and put a hand
on the traveller’s shoulder and offered him food. He kept offering his hand to the traveller
and the man kept telling him not to. The
boy wants so badly to help others. He is
a ray of light in the darkness. I think
the man knows this because he lets the boy give the traveller food even though
he wants to keep it for himself and the boy.
He wants to make the boy strong but he does not want him to lose his
ability to see good in the world. The
man thought the traveller might “turn into god and they to trees” (163), but if
anyone there were a god it would be the boy.
If there is hope for the future it is that boy. The man turned back to see the traveler leave
them. The boy kept looking ahead. It is the boy who is looking towards the
future while the man is stuck in the past.
Ely: I am the traveller that shared a meal with the man and his son. You say this boy is god? “There is no God and we are not his prophets” (170). We may try to make each other believe there is a God but there is no hope and there is no God.
ReplyDeleteCart: You say there is no God? I saw you “holding the empty tin and looking down into it as if more might appear” (164). Would that be because you likened him to Christ the redeemer who could refill your cup? Don’t be so quick to dismiss the boy old man. He reached out to you and gave you food and comfort when others wouldn’t. The man looked at you in your filth and rags like you were a leper, but the boy touched your shoulder and held your hand despite his father’s urgings not to. Who does this remind you of other than the Son of God? Couldn’t this boy be a sign of God’s presence in the world?
ReplyDeleteELY: Maybe he could. Maybe that is why I told them my name was Ely, because they made me feel like Elijah in his meeting with the Widow of Zarephath. I’ve included a link to the video of the story of Elijah. I think you will be able to see the similarities in the story with my encounter with the boy and his father. The video is compliments of http://TrueMormonDoctrine.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq0fOQ1A2Q
ReplyDeleteCART: Yes I see what you mean. The drought and famine in the story is very similar to our world, and like Elijah you encountered a single parent and child and were offered food. The widow shared food with Elijah even though it risked her and her son’s starvation, just as the widower you met shared with you. In the video the widow’s son handed you the food just as the boy handed you the food. You must also notice the presence of God in the story. God replenished the widow’s food as a reward for sharing with the stranger. If you liken yourself to the prophet Elijah you must have some faith left in you. Maybe this boy’s faith in others is the key for the future. You must listen to the song Hallelujah performed by Rufus Wainwright. The YouTube link has been posted for you on my Blog. It is inspirational and meaningful to this story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcM02aV39xc
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