It was February 2023. I
was returning from a wedding in the Philippines on a late evening flight from
Manila. After crossing the Bataan region on the western edge of the
Philippines, we were flying over the South China Sea and over to Changzhou in
China.
I would look down and see
little droplets of light like a half-lit Christmas tree throughout this region
of China. The day had ended for them. I began to think of Dylan Thomas’ epic
poem, "Under Milk Wood", where the narrator imagines what the people in the small
Welsh village are dreaming about. I looked down at
this Asian nation with similar sentiments. People with rich inner lives filled
with experience, disappointments, love and hate, goodness, and selflessness.
Was there a father reading a bedtime story to his four-year-old? What stories
do children like in China? I recalled reading The Little Seamstress a few years
ago. How will these babes grow up, will they learn to love and show gratitude? They
have more advantages to do so. Many children’s books today teach empathy and selflessness.
And what about the poor
rice farmers. Would they be awake, wondering how they will get through the
forthcoming year as anxiety floods in like a Chang Jiang flash storm? And there’s
the teenager still playing his video game with the kid in Oklahoma, both struggling
with their schoolwork as they live for the moment.
Crossing over the Gobi Desert,
the patches of light became sparce. What was going on down there I wondered? Bedouin
shepherds awake and guarding their flocks from predators. They would be looking
up at us and wonder what it would be like to fly in a plane and imagining who
we were, what countries we came from. And musing on how little of this world
they will ever see. What else could one think of whilst awake at this deathly
hour? I envied them as they staired into their dark skies filled with the
universe.
But they were not alone.
Here I was, I’ve been to the Philippines, a few European countries, and Boston
in USA. Like these Bedouins and people of the Gobi and China, I have seen so
little of this planet and a feeling of lost opportunity began to overwhelm me. Now
I became discontented at missed opportunity and thinking of young people who
take a sabbatical and wander this earth with a backpack and a pair of sturdy walking
boots. Bless them.
But there is something
refreshing that offers hope of gained opportunities. Jotted around the Bible
are verses like Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:13 where he wrote,
“But, according to his
promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness
dwells.” (WEB).
The scriptures also speak
about “The renewal,” “paradise” and “the meek inheriting the earth.” It becomes apparent that humans who have the
right motive will one day inherit a paradise. Then, we can return to our youth,
put on those walking boots, throw on the bag pack, and meet the human family.
A Letter From Somewhere Up There
A special thanks to Benjamin Voros for his image at https://unsplash.com/@vorosbenisop
It was February 2023. I was returning from a wedding in the Philippines on a late evening flight from Manila. After crossing the Bataan region on the western edge of the Philippines, we were flying over the South China Sea and over to Changzhou in China.
I would look down and see little droplets of light like a half-lit Christmas tree throughout this region of China. The day had ended for them. I began to think of Dylan Thomas’ epic poem, "Under Milk Wood", where the narrator imagines what the people in the small Welsh village are dreaming about. I looked down at this Asian nation with similar sentiments. People with rich inner lives filled with experience, disappointments, love and hate, goodness, and selflessness. Was there a father reading a bedtime story to his four-year-old? What stories do children like in China? I recalled reading The Little Seamstress a few years ago. How will these babes grow up, will they learn to love and show gratitude? They have more advantages to do so. Many children’s books today teach empathy and selflessness.
And what about the poor rice farmers. Would they be awake, wondering how they will get through the forthcoming year as anxiety floods in like a Chang Jiang flash storm? And there’s the teenager still playing his video game with the kid in Oklahoma, both struggling with their schoolwork as they live for the moment.
Crossing over the Gobi Desert, the patches of light became sparce. What was going on down there I wondered? Bedouin shepherds awake and guarding their flocks from predators. They would be looking up at us and wonder what it would be like to fly in a plane and imagining who we were, what countries we came from. And musing on how little of this world they will ever see. What else could one think of whilst awake at this deathly hour? I envied them as they staired into their dark skies filled with the universe.
But they were not alone. Here I was, I’ve been to the Philippines, a few European countries, and Boston in USA. Like these Bedouins and people of the Gobi and China, I have seen so little of this planet and a feeling of lost opportunity began to overwhelm me. Now I became discontented at missed opportunity and thinking of young people who take a sabbatical and wander this earth with a backpack and a pair of sturdy walking boots. Bless them.
But there is something refreshing that offers hope of gained opportunities. Jotted around the Bible are verses like Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:13 where he wrote,
“But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (WEB).
The scriptures also speak about “The renewal,” “paradise” and “the meek inheriting the earth.” It becomes apparent that humans who have the right motive will one day inherit a paradise. Then, we can return to our youth, put on those walking boots, throw on the bag pack, and meet the human family.
See Job 14: 14 (NIV).
Luke 23:40 (WEB).
Matthew 5:5 (NIV).