Ripped Up Tickets

I have very few memories of disharmony between my parents regarding our family's mixed faiths while growing up.  But one rare event was very painful to witness.  Mom was raised Catholic, but she and dad decided to raise us boys in his Mormon faith.  Mom later joined the Mormon church, but this wasn't until I was about 15 years old.  Prior to her conversion to Mormonism, mom was very active in her own religion.  One evening, we went to her church, Saint Rosa of Lima, to attend a fundraiser dinner.  This was unusual in that I couldn't ever remember going to an event at her church prior to this.  I was intrigued, but it was obvious dad was agitated about going.  I am not sure what conversation they had had about it behind closed doors, but the agitation was palpable.  As we were walking in from the parking lot, an argument of some kind flared between us kids.  Dad took the dinner tickets, ripped them in half, and said we were going home.  It was a silent drive, all except my mom who quietly wept.  Finally, she said, “We could have least given those to some poor members of the congregation – some can’t afford to go to the dinner”.

LESSON LEARNED:  In flares of anger and pride, we are all guilty of doing or saying things we wish we could take back.  Only the miracle of forgiveness can heal these types of wounds.

FEEDBACK:  WHAT PAINFUL MEMORY DO YOU HARBOR WHICH SEEMED INJUST AND WAS DIFFICULT TO OVERCOME?