Some More of God’s Greatest Mistakes

well, yes, things may feel pretty bad right now.  but can you imagine how much worse it could be if we lost the ability to feel anything at all?

At first the rain felt lovely.  In the middle of the summer who could resist stepping out among the soft wet drops?  Even more appealing was when we realised that the rain was seeping in through our scalps and washing free our brains of our resentments and griefs and sufferings.  It felt so good to have all those things we thought were useless just washed away into nothing.  Gone forever, and good riddance.

When the sun came out again the whole town came together and we played music and sang and danced all night and in to the next morning.  Then we went home to our beds and slept deeply and cleanly.

It took months for the joy and peace we felt to fade.  We only noticed it was gone the day someone mentioned that no one had played any music anywhere in town for more than a month.  The men who played instruments just shrugged their shoulders and looked shifty. 

That night we gathered together again to play and sing like we used to.  I don’t know about anyone else but for me, I felt a little uneasy.  Something seemed not quite right.  The boys tried to get a dance going but no one’s heart was in it and it petered out.  The music petered out as well.  It didn’t sound the same.

That night was when the story telling started.  Once a week we gather together and share memories of our most painful, embarassing, or horrifying moments.  Veterans tell stories of wars.  Mothers tell stories of sick and dying children.  Women tell stories of rape and men tell stories of humiliation.  Anything it takes to remind us of what pain feels like.