Walter Mitty had a very good
imagination. And it led to a genuine
adventure when he met a girl who inspired him to take some big risks. You should take some risks and have an adventure too. (That, and Iceland is very beautiful). These points were very clear as I watched
James Thurber’s short story adaptation play out on the screen in front of
me. It’s the kind of story that reaches
out to the person in want of some excitement, or a second chance to live a
long-neglected dream; to see, as the motto in the movie puts it, “things dangerous to come to...”. And as I sat
there on my couch late that night, I was one of those people.
And then I looked down.
On my lap, a nearly sleeping
2-year-old, out of sorts and out of schedule because of a recent bout of
illness. And three others, deeply asleep
after days of interrupted nights and barf buckets and bleach. Days of laundry (oh, so much laundry), and please, won’t you
eat something, and please, don’t eat anything yet!
And that one time I had to
clean out the in between of little toes, soiled in an uncontrollable moment.
When Jesus washed his
disciples’ feet, was it something like this?
This filth, washed with great Love, because He saw our helplessness? We can only, like a little child, sit with
feet dangling, weak and messy, and receive.
But the gift is there too, in the washing.
In this season, the secret
life of Rachel is unlocking the mysteries that have been hidden in this – the
service of love to my children. In
helping them when they are helpless, in holding their heads and washing their
feet, in stooping low to lift them up.
And that is a very rich secret life indeed.
