WRITEON FOR OCTOBER 7, 2020 sister alies. OPTIMISM, said the fortune cookie, is what allows a teakettle to sing though it’s up to its neck in hot water! This past week has shown us that making excuses can get you into hot water! Are excuses, reasons, or telling the truth all the same? Why do folks make excuses? Well, maybe because we feel the whole story hasn’t been told? Or maybe because we lie? Or things get confused? Or maybe because we just don’t care? Or…? Who knows? Why don’t I wear a mask? Many good excuses on that one…and look what can happen! I found these excuses on car accident reports (anon), however, amusing. ‘No one was to blame for the accident, but it never would have happened if the other driver had been alert!’ ‘The pedestrian had no idea which way to go, so I ran over him.’ ‘I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.’ ‘My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.’ ‘The guy was all over the road, I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.’ ‘As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared where no stop sign had ever been before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.’ Really? I mean how much hot water does there need to be to sing? Excuses go way back to our school days when we were out sick or had an appointment. Mom or Dad had to send a note to school. Try these: ‘My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take PE. Please execute him.’ ‘Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.’ ‘Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father’s fault.’ I wonder what the excuse for this would be? ‘Get rid of aunts: ZAP does the job in 24 hours!’ Maybe on the other hand we need to become as child-like as this little fellow at prayer and cut the excuses and, well, tell the truth: ‘Lord, if you can’t make me be a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.’ Telling the truth and excuses are two different things. Somewhere though we have lost our way in our civil discourse and we can’t be sure what’s the truth and what’s an excuse. We live, as an old monk once said, ‘somewhere between the naked Truth and comforting lies.’ BLESSINGS.
