Mother and Son

[This is written to be spoken in earlier African American dialect, but can be translated in any preferred dialect.]

[Narrator] A mother tries to get her son to understand.

[Mom, M] [lovingly] They's more to life than just havin a head full o knowledge, impressing folks, puffin y'self up, or makin a lot o money.

[Narrator, from aside]“You are special”, she thought to herself, “but that ain't the way to live.”

[M] There's so much more.

[Son, S] Like what?

[M. struggling to find the right words] Like deep feelings!

[S] Whadya mean feelings?

[M] Feelings like hugging somebody, or feeling like doin a lil jig, or feeling like rollin in the grass with the puppies, or takin some baked beans over to Aunt Sally while she's getting thru her grief.

[S] I've done some o those things.

[M] I know ya have; but you ain't felt it deep. None of us has—not all the way to the bottom of what's there for us.

[S.] So how d'ya get these “deep feelings”?

[M] First you gotta know that you ain't got to where you need to git yet. Then you gotta understand, in a deep way, that they's something more for you—something better'n anything you ever imagined. In fact, when you find it, you beg God to never let you lose it or get too far from it. It scares you to think that you could ever drift back in to that world where you was dead and only thought you was alive.

You gotta know, or else at least believe, that they is such a “place”, cause I can tell ye, they is!

[S] I know, Momma. How come you always so happy?

[M] Not happy, son: Joyful! It's deeper than happy, and not so easily stirred up.

It's cause of what I'm talkin bout; what I'm tryin to give you!

[S] Well I guess I need some of it. Things been on the down side for me here lately.

[M, slow and deliberate]Take that need, son, and put it in a washtub, as big as you need to hold all of it. Now, set it down right here by the ocean of God's supply, and watch a big wave roll over it, and wash all of it, along with the washtub, and ever thing you could ever worry or complain about, ever thing you could ever dread, ever thing you ever felt sorry for doin: out, way on out, into the mighty ocean of His infinite Love and Grace and Goodness, washin it all out of you, til you don't feel nothing but clean as pure mountain air, and freer than a bird.

If you can feel that, son, then you gettin' close to the Kingdom of God, where you belong.

[S] You mean you can feel that way all the time?

[M] Well, when you get to heaven you can-- and a lot more. But right now you can feel more of it.

If you just remember the Truth—if you hold on to it. It'll keep settin you free.

[S] What is that “truth” that I'm s'posed to be hangin on to?

[M] [Thoughtfully] It's hard to say it in some way that don't make it sound silly and simple—or like something you thought you already knew about; cause you did know about it a little; but you thought you knew all about it. And that stopped you. Now I'm tryin to gitch you to come on in to the big wide world of really knowin' it. So I ain't even gonna answer that. I jus want you to remember your question: “What is the Truth?” and remember your roots. And don't ever give up on answering it. If you remember those things, you'll gitchyur answer.

[Drawing her son very close; slowly, with deep conviction]

But remember Son, don't ever forget, that it's the most important thing—to find the Truth. If you don't find it, nothing else is gonna matter, cause you'll never know, that it ALL matters. It ALL matters! But you won't ever know it if you don't find the Truth. So please, son, find the answer to yer question.

Mark Graham 11/1/2014