Conversation Point

Because of Deep Love

Three seemingly unrelated news items caught my attention over the last few days. In one story, George Clooney, celebrated actor and director, lost his pet potbellied pig, Max, after eighteen years together. Max passed on while his owner was out of town promoting his latest film. When the subject of Max came up in the myriad of interviews associated with such things, Mr. Clooney's eyes welled up with tears as he reflected on how much animals can become a part of our lives, and how sad it is to see them leave.

In another story, former President George H.W. Bush had his own tearful moment while speaking at a leadership conference. Recalling the 1994 Florida governors race, which his son, Jeb, lost to another candidate, the elder Bush started to cry as he shared his pride in the grace and dignity his son had shown at that time. Governor Bush came to the podium, hugged his dad and the audience applauded. Mr. Bush smiled and said that he was the emotional one in the family, and while he didn't like breaking down in public, these things happened as you got older.

Finally, Academy Award winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines as she sought to clarify a European newspaper's misquote saying she believed that the British are more intelligent and civilized than Americans. Ms. Paltrow made it clear she would not make that kind of comparison to begin with, but that she also felt lucky and proud to be an American.

Grief at a loss, love for a son or daughter and pride in our heritage and country are poignantly common experiences with which we are all familiar. Whether famous or intensely private, we are all human and united in these most simple ways. In that simplicity, these are moments that catch us off guard, and we remember what it is to care deeply and without reserve.

Although I have not welcomed a pig to share my home, I am blessed with the gift of cat love. There are those among you who are nodding knowingly as you read this, and others who are more prone to invite dogs, birds, ferrets, fish and hamsters to share your life. There is a special joy in making space for a new creature in our hearts and homes. It is so effortless, even if we are keenly aware of the maintenance an animal requires, to look into their eyes and know you belong together. There is no thought in that moment that eventually that time will come to a close. We all know this, but we open ourselves to the experience anyway. Children and parents are a lovingly volatile mix of guidance and freedom, trial and error. Those moments in which we see each other as whole people, apart from our relational history, are perhaps too rare, but they are filled with an unspeakable grace and wonder. Having the opportunity to stand in one's integrity, one's faith in the land that produced you and helped shape your character, is also rare, and quite stunning.

During this time of holiday frenzy, most of us hunker down and push our way toward the finish line, that time when the gifts are purchased and wrapped and settled under the perfectly decorated tree in the clean house with all the cookies and treats ready to pass around to family and friends. Advent has become less about preparation of our perspective on God and almost all about beating the to do list rush. But these moments of pause in our lives reveal to us how much of our hearts we have given without a second thought. These are the moments that reveal how much we are like God who created us and loves us. The gifts of God With Us opened the door to an extraordinary love that bears thoughtful consideration, appreciation and renewed faith in God and ourselves.

And so, Advent continues.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 5:19 PM