From the Depression to the Depression

   My grandmother lived through the Depression, World War II, the 1950's and every other world event since then. The Depression and the War defined her young adult life. She traveled from Canada to England when she was nineteen years old, a trip that took her five days by boat. Soon after, World War II began. When Grandma was growing up, televisions were not in every room, the internet didn't exist, snail mail was normal and air travel was still in its very early stages.
    Flash forward to my mother who lived through the Kennedy Assassination, MLK Jr, Assassination, The First Moon Walk, and the Vietnam War, and every other world event since. Telephones and televisions were slowly making their way into homes. Women's fashion was advancing from dresses and skirts to trousers. The Beatles were a very popular thing and the Hippie Movement was sweeping the States.
     Then I came along. I've lived through the death of Princess Diana, three very different presidents in Clinton, Bush, and Obama, 9/11 and all the subsequent wars. We now have mobile phones instead of landlines, email and internet are our main ways of communication  and social media is a way of life, and we're still in so many wars.
      What my grandmother, my mother, and I have all experienced in our lifetimes is vastly different. We've also experienced different collective world events as well which have shaped our lives and the way we see the world. My grandmother has seen communication and travel change vastly. My mother has seen so many wars in her time. I have watched as the art of conversation has slowly declined to simply Facebook statuses.
     It's an amazing thing to talk with my grandmother and my mother about how they see the world. My grandmother never finished high school but was successful and driven. She worked in many different industries but she succeeded in what she did. My mother went to university and has had one real career since she graduated. I went to university, eventually found a big girl job that really wasn't in what I majored in, but decided to leave that job for a time to do missions. I've traveled Europe, Australia, and most of North America. My mother has seen a lot of North America and my grandmother the same.
     We've also experienced different waves of Christianity as well. My grandmother grew up in a time of strict religiosity. There was no dancing and there was no card playing. You dressed up for church and it was a priority.  My mother went through the no dancing thing but also there was no drinking at all either. The Jesus movement was a very real thing for her. My generation has floundered around a bit, questioning the idea of religion and we've moved toward the belief that being in the world and not of the world is better so we dance and we may have a glass of wine as long as we don't get too crazy.
     But the thing is each of our experiences and the world events that we have witnessed and lived through have shaped the values we live by. My grandmother is 98. The way she was raised through the Depression and WWII has brought her to a point of intense generosity but also a place where appearance is important as well. My mother is a product of the baby boom so they've been taught that security is in their retirement and they must retire at the proper age and then move to a warmer climate. To be honest, my generation? We are the questioning generation and the most impatient generation. We question the media, we question authority, and we question religion. We want things immediately and are not willing to wait for much.
     So what of it? Well, there are lessons to be learned. I love my grandmother and my mother so much. They provide me with much wisdom and they bring a different perspective to my life. I seek advice from them because they have lived so much life before me. But at the same time, I must realize where they've come from and what God has brought them through. There have been many changes in my life and in the life of my parents and grandparents. What my brother and I have done and decided is vastly different from the ideals and expectations that my parents were told to live up to. We've broken structures whereas they were forced into them. My grandparents fought to have a good life, my parents kept the good life, and we move beyond it. It's incredible and it's amazing what a generation can do but it's also beautiful. Each of us have lived through such profound and unique things and they have defined us and how we live our lives. We may see the world and the plans that we want to accomplish differently but the things we can learn from each other are awesome. So take the time to talk. Do not let the art of conversation and the curiosity die.
     Ask the questions, find out the stories, and see what the generations before us have lived through. Stories are worth telling. Some mistakes should not be repeated. But we can only learn if we ask. Put on a pot of coffee, grab your parents and your grandparents and start a dialogue. What you will learn could be astounding.   

In and Not Of

    Have an eternal perspective . . . .we hear it all the time as Christians. We need to keep our eyes off of the world and off of the things that are of the world. In other words, we must be in the world and not of the world. The first time I heard this phrase was on the Avalon album "Testify to Love". The song literally was called "In and not of". As an eleven year old, I understood I was called to be different. I knew that when my friends lied to their parents or used "bad words", I was supposed to stand up against that and say it was wrong. Not only that, I was not supposed to participate in that at all.
     But it's not always an easy thing to do. You face rejection, you face being made fun of, you face being excluded. No one wants that. No one wants to be on the outside looking in. So how do we do what we are called to do while not feeling like we must live in Siberia?
     I could give the "church" answer. I could say all the things like we just need to pray and God will help. That God is all you need so who needs friends? But reality is we do need friends. We do need fellowship. So how do we live in the world, not participating in those things that break God's heart but not staying in our Christian bubbles? It can be so dangerous just to live amongst Christians and only interact with Christians. When we do this, we forget there are people who are lost and do need us to speak truth to them. There are people who do not know Christ and who need us to be the light of the world. Jesus calls us to be the light of the world and salt of the earth. It may sound a little funny but to be the salt of the earth means that we add taste to the world. We add the seasoning to the bland darkness overshadowing the world. So we must be in the world. We must live in it but we must not be of it. We must rise above the corruption and against the strongholds holding the world back.
     But how? How do we keep that perspective and not alienate people? How do we do that and not just stay in our Christian bubbles? We become real people. We become real people with real faults, real problems, and real trials. We reach out to those who are lost and we let them know that we too struggle. We don't stay in our Christian bubbles pretending everything is awesome but instead we step out into the world as God has called us to do. We pour into Christ and he will give us the strength to walk in the world and not fall. We can never do it on our own strength but only with the help of Jesus. For as it says in Jude 1:24: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory majesty dominion and authority before all time and now and forever."
     Indeed we must live with an eternal perspective but that eternal perspective must keep us in the world. We must walk in such a way that's real and that draws people to Christ. If we do not do that, then we have failed in what we are called to do. Yes, I am excited to one day step into eternity and see Jesus face to face but while I'm here, I want to glorify him in everything I do and live in a way that makes him proud. I want to be in and not of.

I hide me far away from trouble
The world outside me grows darker by the day
So I promise to stay here close beside You
Surely God would want His children safe

Then in reading, how my eyes were opened
I find that He is leading us out into the world
Into the middle of fallen saints and sinners
Where a little grace is needed most

Come take the light to darker parts
Share His truth with hardened hearts
We are not like the world, but we can love it
Come bring the hope to hopeless men
Until the lost are found in Him

"In and not Of" Avalon -- Songwriters Grant Cunningham, Nickolas Gonzales

It's all about appearance

We can put on the Makeup
We can wear the right Clothes
We can say all the right Things
We can have all the right Friends
We can have the perfect Job
We can have the House
We can have the Car
But at the end of the day, what's it all Worth
Does it mean anything at All
Isn't it all just Appearance
When we lay awake at night, will all that we have really Matter
If we end up all alone, will any of our stuff Count
Shouldn't we try to be Real
Shouldn't we try to live Truthfully
Sometimes it's easier to Pretend
But how is that helping You
Why wear a mask when you can be Free
Take a look Inside
See what you Find
Don't be scared to ask the Questions
Don't be afraid to look at Truth
Because at the end of the Day
When you look at it Truthfully
You will find a greater amount of Freedom
It's a Process
It can be Terrifying
But once we do, we won't be held down by those Things
We can be real with People
Besides, if we put away our Masks
It means we won't be Hypocrites
Instead, we will be real People
Yes, it won't happen Overnight
We will always find something we're holding onto that we need to let Go
But when we do let those things Go
We can walk in Truth
We can walk in Freedom
Just be honest with Yourself
It's a process but it's an awesome Process
It's a process of Truth
And it's a process God will honor and take you through with absolute Truth
There's no Shame
There's only Freedom
Step into it and all it's Awesomeness!

The Happiest Place on Earth

    You hear it long before you ever see it. You hear the music and you know you're coming closer. You see the booths advertising the tickets, you clutch yours tighter in your hand, proud of that piece of paper. You walk through the security bag checks, you're closer yet. You're just on the outskirts. You look down to your right and you see all the shops and restaurants to make you feel like you're in a real town but you haven't come for the downtown experience, you've come for what lies straight ahead. No need to get distracted by the bright colors on your left, that's for tomorrow's experience. The monorail that's overhead rolls right on by, the music crescendos. You leap into line.  It's a bit long but that's okay, you'll wait for hours if you had to. Finally, your time comes, you stick your ticket into the slot and you're through!
     The big Mickey Mouse head made of flowers in front of the Main Street Train Station makes you unconsciously break into the biggest grin. You can hear "When You Wish Upon a Star" playing. But you know, you're not quite there yet. Goofy may be off to the side posing for pictures already but that's not why you've come. You've come for more than just Goofy.
     So you continue to walk under the sign that says "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy." Your heart beats faster because through that arch is Main Street USA! You've arrived in the land of Disney. You've been transported back to the world of yesterday like only Disney can. Old school candy shops, old school theatres, you can almost imagine Walt Disney wandering down the streets. You see Alice and The Mad Hatter off to the side. You're really tempted to stop and take a picture but they aren't what you've come for either and you must not be distracted.
     So you continue on. You look to the right and wonder if Tomorrowland should be the first stop or maybe Frontierland. But you choose neither because right in front of you lies Sleepy Beauty's Castle and you know that through the bridge of the castle lies your true mission. So you wave to Walt Disney and Mickey as you pass. You look up at the castle and stare in wonder at it. It's more beautiful then you imagined. You'd love to get a single picture of you with the castle but find that there are too many other guests in your way. But it's okay because the castle really isn't what you've come for either.
    You walk through the castle and you're in Fantasyland. Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, King Arthur's Carousel, Snow White's Scary Adventure, and the Teacups await you. But there's one more. The real reason you've come to Fantasyland. It's time to fly. You've been anticipating this moment since you entered the park. It's time to go to on Peter Pan's Flight. Some people head to Splash Mountain, the Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain. Those are completely legit rides. They'll get busy fast. Best to be in line first. Those wonderful rides? They are big, they are flashy, they are awesome. But after you're done, your hair has been messed up, you may be a little wet, and you've simply had a thrill. Yes, it's been Disney-fied so they're amazing but they are loud, flashy, and get the attention as you hear people screaming all over the park.
    But sit in the pirate ship of Peter Pan's Flight and you get an experience that will take you through the rest of the day. It may be quieter than that of Splash Mountain, it's not as fast as Space Mountain, and it won't leave you breathless in the same way that Big Thunder will but you get a story. You fly over London, you join the Darling children as Peter takes them off to Neverland. You see what they must have seen and felt what they must have as they approached Neverland. You fight Captain Hook with Peter and as you return the children to their beds at the end of the ride; you've lived the story. You step off of the ride having thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. You look at the park with a sense of accomplishment and contentment. You conquered what you came for. You want to hop in line again but you realize that others are seeing that Peter Pan is where it's at. So you smile softly to yourself and with a bounce in your step, you begin to walk toward Big Thunder Mountain. You've gotten your quiet time, now it's time for the harder stuff. You take one more glance back to Peter and lift your hand in a wave. You know it's silly but you can't help it. Peter has prepared you for the rest of your day. It's a magical moment where dreams come true. He spoke quietly. He wasn't flashy but he was amazing. You didn't look for the thing with the quickest thrill but rather the endearing sense of peace and you found it. Amongst the busy, the chaotic, the screaming children, and the Disney music, you found what you were looking for. Sometimes you just have to search and sometimes you just have to take the time to listen where the voice is leading you.

    "And behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a still small voice" 1 Kings 19:11-12
       
    

Just another cup of coffee

     Did you ever realize how a good cup of coffee can change someone's day? I'll admit there are mornings that a cup of tea just will not suffice. Sometimes the sleep is slow in wearing off. Sometimes it's been a late night and an early morning and a cup of java is needed. Most of the time, coffee just taste ridiculously good.
   This morning, instead of staying in the house for my cup of coffee, I meandered down to a coffee shop I hadn't tried before. It's a hard thing to try out a new place. It can be a bit scary. We like to stay in routine and with the familiar coffee and baristas. What if I got to a new place and their coffee isn't as good? What if it is just a bad experience with rude baristas and no seats available when you don't want take away? What if they are so pretentious I don't understand what's on their menu? All of these are perfectly normal fears but when we take a chance, sometimes you find lovely baristas, wonderful coffee, and latte art.
    In some ways, this experience with coffee can be very similar to our quiet times. I am a master at the routine. For me, there is a lot of comfort in keeping with a similar routine in the morning. I know I'm going to make my coffee or tea with two sugars and a dash of milk, make toast or grab cereal for breakfast, grab a seat on the couch and begin to read my Bible. I really look forward to that time. My mornings spent with God like that are great! They are awesome! But how often do those things just become routine? We read the same amount of chapters, we sit in the same spot, we pray for the same things, and we spend the same amount of time with him every morning. Now, none of these things are bad. God shows up in those moments, he speaks, he rebukes, he loves, and he brings his presence. But at the same time, doesn't that sometimes limit God? We aren't creative enough to listen to find out where he wants to meet with us. We aren't brave enough to ask him what he would want us to do differently.
     At times, he simply wants to change up the order of our quiet time. Maybe we aren't supposed to read all the chapters we were intending to or maybe we are just supposed to have a prayer time. If that's what he's saying, then do it! But God has been challenging me to not make that time stagnant. Yes, he can speak to me if I do the same thing every day but he also challenges me to step out in faith and let him speak in different ways. This way, I give him room to move. God is a God of creativity and he speaks to us each individually in a myriad of ways and I love that! I'm so thankful that how he speaks to me is vastly different then how he speaks to my best friend or my roommate or my mother. He knows what we need, when we need it.
     But just like a good cup of coffee, sometimes we need change. Sometimes we need to try out something new, take a leap of faith. I took a leap of faith with a new coffee shop and I found lovely coffee and wonderful baristas. My Bible and notebook had come with me and as I sat there people watching, God showed up with words of truth, discipline, and hope. Could I have found that on the couch in the morning? Possibly. But I didn't. I found it in the early afternoon in a busy café, surrounded by people minding their own business taking a break from their days with a cup of coffee. But God's presence filled that place. He changed the atmosphere because he was there with me. How amazingly cool is that?! Thank the Lord that he is everywhere. Thank the Lord that he moves and he meets us wherever. He meets us in the rain, in the sun. He meets us on the street, in a park, in our house, in our rooms. He speaks through nature and through people. We just have to take the time to listen and perhaps change our structures a bit as well.
     So . . . feel like trying a new cup of coffee tomorrow? Perhaps you'll learn something you never thought you would.

And let Thankfulness reign

I wake up each morning still in awe of what I see

Outside my window is loads of houses all smushed together

I walk down the street and see cars on the left side of the road

A little further and I see the Tube Station

A red bus goes by

A little girl skips by in a school uniform

I see a Caffé Nero

I see a corner shop

I stop in amazement and realize I am not in Washington anymore

A car drives by; perhaps it’s Ian McKellan again

A moment passes

A posh British person rides by on a bike.

I really am not in Washington anymore

A thought that still stops me in my tracks

God has blessed me with amazing friends

God has blessed me with an amazing family

God has blessed me an amazing opportunity

I get to be in London

I get to live in London

I get to experience art in London

God shows up in London

God shows up in my quiet time

God shows up in every moment

He says come and hang out

He says be with me

He says enjoy

I am so thankful

I am so blessed

I am in amazement

Let not a moment go by

Let me not forget

Let me always remember

God promises to take care of me

God promises good gifts

God promises to always be near

I claim those promises

I claim those words that won’t return void

I claim that God is more than enough

He loves me

He calls me

He woos me

God invites us in

God asks us to approach

God surrounds us with his love

Let him.

Let him be enough

Let thankfulness pour forth

Above all else, let joy be over everything

Above all else, seek God

Above all else, praise him for he is good

Even in moments that seem too hard.

Even in moments when the rain is falling

Even in moments when the good seems so far away

For God is good

For God is real

For God is God

He knows what’s best

He knows the plans

He knows our desires

Let him walk with you

Let him lead you

Let him bless you in ways that only he knows how

Always be amazed

Always walk expectantly

Always have the faith of a child

Blessed be the Lord God Almighty!

Psalm 84:11-12; For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Along the Path

 

Charlotte, 12, is standing on the stage alone. The spotlight hits her as she begins.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

Alice fell down the rabbit hole and ended up in Wonderland. Dorothy got swept away in a tornado and ended up in Oz. Wendy learned how to fly and headed second star to the right and straight on to morning. Belle ended up in a castle of live inanimate objects, and Lucy found Narnia. And me? Well, I’ve remained stupidly stuck in this world. I’ve always dreamed of finding a new world, exploring new places, and seeing the unreal and the unexplored much like the stories I’ve read. It would be silly, I know, to assume that these things do happen in real life. After all, they were stories made up, authors with big imaginations who came up with all these things. But for oh so long, there has been something stirring in me. I just want an adventure. I want to happen along a path and suddenly that brings me to a brand new world. I mean, why not really? Why not unleash what’s in my head upon the world. No, I don’t mean I’m going to go outside in my garden and pretend there are gnomes, elves, and fairies. I mean, really, properly finding a new place to explore and finding a new world that’s all mine. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to wear my cutest blue and white striped dress, pack my bag with all the essentials, and find a new world.   

 

Her brother, James, 15, steps out onto the stage. Spotlight on him as Charlotte begins to gather her things.

                                                                                JAMES

My sister is loads of crazy. Dreaming about other worlds, wishing she could fly, never really living in the moment. In fact, she’s packing her bag in search of a new world. No, literally a new world. She thinks if she steps outside the walls of our home, she will discover what no person on earth really has; a new place to adventure. I say she is all kinds of crazy. She says I’m Edmund from the Narnia books. And maybe I am. But as her older brother, I must keep her feet firmly planted. Otherwise, what is she going to do? She’s going to end up a crazy cat woman for the rest of her life doing nothing but thinking she really is in Narnia. I have to somehow figure out how to stop her, how to convince her that her trek outside the house to find a new world is preposterous. But in order to do that, I’m going to have to go with her. I hate my life.

James grabs his bag off the floor as the two meet in the center stage.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

What are you doing?

 

                                                                                JAMES

Coming with you.

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

Not a chance. There’s no way I’m finding anything cool if you’re with me.

 

                                                                                JAMES

Never know. Maybe I’ll be the key to you finding the portal to Middle Earth.

 

James and Charlotte stare at each other. Charlotte pondering.

                          Pause.
                          Charlotte lets out a long exasperated sigh.

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

Fine. Let’s get on with it then.

 

They both begin to walk. James freezes. Charlotte turns to the audience.

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

My brother is the most unbelieving unbeliever there ever was. He doesn’t read fantasy books, he reads biographies and historical accounts. The boring stuff. But I knew why he was going to try to help me. He was determined to prove me wrong. So determined that he was going to join me. I knew what I was going to find. It was going to be incredible. I mean, Narnia and Wonderland incredible. But hopefully without all the scary bits.

 

Charlotte freezes as James steps forward.

 

                                                                                JAMES

We stepped out of the front door and immediately, Charlotte took a deep breath and got the goofiest smile on her face and I knew I was in for it. She was ready to ruin my life. She was ready to pull me into a world that didn’t exist in reality but only existed within her imagination. We began to walk down the sidewalk. Charlotte kept looking in every direction, looking for something that might lead her to a new world. I wanted to roll my eyes into the back of my head.

 

Charlotte unfreezes.

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

I still don’t understand why you’re going. You don’t even know what we’re looking for.
 

                                                                                JAMES

And you do?
 

Charlotte looks straight ahead.

                          Pause.
                          Charlotte breaks into a smile and points.

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

There!

She runs to the edge of the stage. James saunters after her.

 

                                                                                JAMES

So? It’s a path with a gate in front.
 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

It’s a dirt path with trees and flowers lining it. The best new worlds are found when we follow the path.

                                                                               

            JAMES

It’s gated and locked.
 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

There’s even someone’s glasses hanging on the fence. They must have been transported from this very spot. The glasses are hanging from the inside. James, this is it! If only I could get to the other side.
 

                                                                                JAMES

                                                                                (frustrated)
IT’S GATED AND LOCKED!

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

The unbelief in you is almost unbelievable.

 

James rolls his eyes as he freezes.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

It was a beautiful path and I knew it lead to somewhere. Someone had walked this path before me and had left a sign for me to follow. My brother just didn’t understand. So I tried to find a way in. I tried to climb up the fence, I was too short. I tried to squeeze my hand through, my hand was too fat. I tried to bend the bars, but I wasn’t strong enough. I even put on the blue glasses that had been left hanging there to see if that would have some magical powers. They didn’t. I prayed, I begged, I sang a song, I danced, I stared, I jumped, I did everything I could think of. I put my biscuits through the holes in the fence, hoping that maybe the person with the key would appear and accept my offering. But nothing. As I did everything strange, James just stood there. Finally, I could think of nothing else to do, so I sat down in front of the path and starred.

 

                                Charlotte sits down and freezes. James unfreezes and begins to talk.

                                                                                JAMES

Yep, everything insane one could think of, she did. It was so embarrassing. All I wanted to do was hide. Instead, I leaned up against the fence amused. She chanted, she waved, she offered food. Ridiculousness. I was thankful when she finally stopped. The thing was, she didn’t get it. She didn’t understand that she wasn’t going to be able to get through unless she had a key. If she had a key, she could simply walk through the doors. But there was no one with the key around. She wasn’t supposed to head down that path. The path wasn’t for her. It was for someone else.

 

                                James sits down next to her.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

I can’t get through.
 

                                                                                JAMES

Duh.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

Why not? I should be able to. People should not keep paths locked like this.
 

                                                                                JAMES
Maybe at the end is someone’s house and they don’t want kids going into their yards. Maybe it’s a crazy old woman who wants to eat us. Whatever it is, there is a good reason why this is locked.

 

                                Charlotte sulks.

                                Pause.
                               An older gentleman, Mr. Nottingham, walks by.

                                                                                MR. NOTTINGHAM

Good morning, James and Charlotte. Trying to get onto the path?

                                Charlotte looks up but doesn’t say anything.

                                Mr. Nottingham sits next to the kids.

                                                                               

                                                                                MR. NOTTINGHAM

The thing is, Charlotte, despite your belief in the world you want and the world you think you’re searching for, the world you’re actually looking for is here in the real world. You want adventure, you want excitement but I can tell you it’s not through this gate.
 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

How do you know?
 

                                                                                MR. NOTTINGHAM

Because I know the man who has the key to this gate. That man lives at the end of the path. Yes, he has a beautiful house but it doesn’t lead to an unexplored world, it leads to a very real house in our very real world. The gate is locked to protect him and protect you from happening on it when you’re not supposed to.
 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

But what’s up with the glasses? Someone’s gone through already.
 

                                                                                MR. NOTTINGHAM

People do go in. But only when they’re invited. One day, you’ll be invited, I’m sure. You’ll get the key, the gate will open and you will go through it. But only when you’re ready. Only when everything else has lined up in your life, when your time to go is here, then you can enter. If you enter before your time, it won’t be as it needs to. There are still things you need to do and you still need to grow up some first.
 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

So when I’m a grown up, I can go? Does that mean you can go?
 

                                                                                MR. NOTTINGHAM

I step in to get instruction from the man in the house but then I am sent out again. I stand guard of the gate to make sure that people know what they are getting themselves in to when they enter in through the gate. One day, Charlotte both you and your brother will step through. But I suggest waiting until you’ve been invited.
 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

But how will I know I’ve been invited?
 

                                                                                MR. NOTTINGHAM

You’ll know. I promise.

 

Mr. Nottingham ruffles their hair before he walks off. Charlotte turns to James, confused.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

I don’t get it.
 

                                                                                JAMES
Mom says Mr. Nottingham has always been a bit strange.

 

                                Pause.

                                                                                JAMES

Go home?

 

Charlotte nods and stands up. She freezes as James exits. Another actress walks onto the stage, Charlotte at the age of 50.

 

                                                                                CHARLOTTE

I didn’t understand most of what Mr. Nottingham told us except for the part that I couldn’t go in. But when I got older, I started to understand. There are certain paths in life that we do have to wait for. There is such a thing called timing. With the right timing, we end up where we need to be and when and we’re much happier for it. But when we step outside of the destiny of timing, things aren’t what they need to be. So I’ve stayed in the timing. Both James and I moved on. I realized I could write my own fantasy worlds and I was perfectly content with living in the real world but writing in my imagination. My brother became a scientist, intensely practical. Every summer we’d come back to the gate. It was always locked, and always had a new article of clothing hanging on the fence. Mr. Nottingham showed up a few times looking just as he always had. One day, when James and I were very old, we returned. To our surprise, James’ favorite scarf was on the gate. For the first time, we really understood. James received his invitation. We embraced and said our final goodbyes as Mr. Nottingham offered James the key and the two walked down the path together. I never saw my brother after that. But I finally understood. I walked many paths in my life. Some of them opened right away and some were closed until the right timing. But there are certain gates that will stay shut and only when we really are ready, not in our timing but in God’s, will they open. Had I rushed it when I was 12, the results would have been devastating. Instead, we stay on the path we’ve been given. One day, we’ll be invited through a new gate into the glorious light of a paradise and new world beyond our wildest dreams. Until then, we must keep walking and keep enjoying the life we’ve been given.                             

 

                                Lights down.