Of Honor and Internet
A personal story of honor and internet: Since my heart health history reminds me of "Only the Good Die Young", I try to take advantage of all helps. I don´t smoke, drink, or chew, have low cholesterol and actually enjoy exercise. My other ace in the hole is my belief in one of the Ten, "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"---so that you may live long on the Earth. This commandment with its corollary catches my attention. One way to honor my mother--for sure--and my step-dad--maybe--is to perform. She loves music and drama and laughter, especially when her kids or grandkids are involved. My mother also loves antiques; nothing is really any good until it´s at least thirty years old.
Once upon a time, she had an old book, a favorite book, a cute children´s story about a Norwegian Christmas called A Grandma for Christmas. It was either lost or stolen. She searched every nook for such a book. She had her children do the same. Twenty years of searching and no A Grandma for Christ.
Wanting to extend my life a little, I became more aggressive. I went to the Minot Public Library and asked them to search for me. They found the book hiding in the University of Minnesota library. The U of M forwarded to me in Minot, and sure enough, it was the very book we had sought for years. But, it was not mine. Should I break the "steal" commandment to follow the "Mom and Dad" commandment...............No, not in the days of the Internet.
I copied all the pertinent information from my borrowed copy of A Grandma for Christmas and sent the book back to the Twin Cities. Then I took off in cyberspace and landed at the Abracadabra Bookstore in Denver. They had the book! They -of course- would sell me the book at a highly inflated but palatable price. I said, "Forget it"........no I didn´t--I snapped it up and it sits hidden in my house as I type.
I also took the story and wrote it into a mini-musical--my Mom loves musicals. My step-dad--they´re OK. I recruited my family and my sister´s family and members of other families and this cast will perform A Grandma for Christmas in Wilton, ND on Dec. 7 and 8 in the Presbyterian Church. My folks have no clue. They know we are doing the annual Christmas show, but we haven´t told them what it is.
I did break one commandment--the one about false witness. I told my mother we were going to do a repeat performance of an old play she´d already seen. I´m not sensing any guilt. I only hope I live long enough to pull this off.
About the Author:
Steve Graner is a Christian educator and familyman employed by the Minot, ND Public School District. A licensed laypastor, he is passionate about Christian writing and Christian drama. Along with family and friends, Steve has performed numerous self-written dramas and musicals for area church audiences.