Ben Avraham
Member
Grandpa and the slide
Twas long ago, way back, back to the early 1960s, It was me and grandpa in the park. It was a park near my aunt and uncle's house on the outskirts of New York City. Mom, dad, and grandpa were visiting Uncle Ces and Aunt Nina that weekend, a weekend so long ago, yet like yesterday in my mind's eye.
Grandpa and grandma had come to America from Italy in 1906. He was a musician in the New York Metropolitan Opera House. He played the trombone. Grandpa and me, well, we were close.
He took me to a slide in the park. One of those made completely of iron. There were about 9 iron steps leading to the top. I started up by hit my shin on one of those rungs. It hurt, and I started to cry. Grandpa came to me and put his arms around me. He comforted me and when the hurt subsided, I continued up the slide all the way to the top. I sat down, gave myself a push, and down I went, faster and faster, all the way to the bottom. At the bottom, my grandpa was waiting for me. He took me by the hand and I went back up again. I went down the slide a few times, then, we both went home to Ces and Nina's house. It was a great day in the park with grandpa.
The slide is like the slide of life. We start at the top, enter the world through water. The 9 rungs on the slide could be the 9 months of pregnancy. We start down, and can't stop, you can put out your feet to stop your descent on a slide, but the slide of life has no stopping places. We start at the top, as infants, and slide down past childhood, adolescence, through teen years, through adulthood, through the times of marriage, job, and family, towards the bottom we start to slow down, the hair turns white, and the skin gets wrinkles. Then we stop, the slide ends at the bottom. We go down the slide only once. At the bottom, grandpa isn't there to take our hand, but our Heavenly Father is.
He will take our hand and lead us from this world to the World to Come, He will lead us to our eternal home, the New Jerusalem.
Yet many will take the journey of the slide, and when they reach the bottom, they will see only darkness, pain, and torment. The Father will not be there, yet the Father of Lies will be. He'll be there to grab the fellow off the slide, and together they will suffer in the abode of the condemned. Don't be that fellow, Be the one who will take the hand of the KING of Kings and LORD of lords.
Remember, the slide of life gives everyone only one ride. You decide, how the ride will end.
Twas long ago, way back, back to the early 1960s, It was me and grandpa in the park. It was a park near my aunt and uncle's house on the outskirts of New York City. Mom, dad, and grandpa were visiting Uncle Ces and Aunt Nina that weekend, a weekend so long ago, yet like yesterday in my mind's eye.
Grandpa and grandma had come to America from Italy in 1906. He was a musician in the New York Metropolitan Opera House. He played the trombone. Grandpa and me, well, we were close.
He took me to a slide in the park. One of those made completely of iron. There were about 9 iron steps leading to the top. I started up by hit my shin on one of those rungs. It hurt, and I started to cry. Grandpa came to me and put his arms around me. He comforted me and when the hurt subsided, I continued up the slide all the way to the top. I sat down, gave myself a push, and down I went, faster and faster, all the way to the bottom. At the bottom, my grandpa was waiting for me. He took me by the hand and I went back up again. I went down the slide a few times, then, we both went home to Ces and Nina's house. It was a great day in the park with grandpa.
The slide is like the slide of life. We start at the top, enter the world through water. The 9 rungs on the slide could be the 9 months of pregnancy. We start down, and can't stop, you can put out your feet to stop your descent on a slide, but the slide of life has no stopping places. We start at the top, as infants, and slide down past childhood, adolescence, through teen years, through adulthood, through the times of marriage, job, and family, towards the bottom we start to slow down, the hair turns white, and the skin gets wrinkles. Then we stop, the slide ends at the bottom. We go down the slide only once. At the bottom, grandpa isn't there to take our hand, but our Heavenly Father is.
He will take our hand and lead us from this world to the World to Come, He will lead us to our eternal home, the New Jerusalem.
Yet many will take the journey of the slide, and when they reach the bottom, they will see only darkness, pain, and torment. The Father will not be there, yet the Father of Lies will be. He'll be there to grab the fellow off the slide, and together they will suffer in the abode of the condemned. Don't be that fellow, Be the one who will take the hand of the KING of Kings and LORD of lords.
Remember, the slide of life gives everyone only one ride. You decide, how the ride will end.