As the title of the blog indicates, a lot of my life in represented on the front of my refrigerator. Kids, weddings, friends, ticket stubs, author magnets, etc. But it also occurred to me that I learned a lot about life sitting with my mom and dad on our front porch, watching the neighborhood and discussing our concerns, big and small.
It was a familiar habit, especially in the spring and fall,
and sometimes even in the height of summer. We’d finish dinner, clean up the
kitchen, then someone would say, “Let’s go to the front porch.” We’d all troop
out there and settle, usually with Daddy smoking a pipe, ostensibly to keep
away the bugs. I can still smell the cherry scent of his tobacco, see the huge
puffs he’d blow around our feet and legs to send mosquitoes scurrying back into
the dark.
We’d talk about school, friends, plans for the next few
days. The front porch is where I broke the news that I wanted a new flute. It’s
where we sat, a little stunned and embarrassed, as the neighbors’ marital spats
spread into their front yard, with accusations echoing over the neighborhood.
Divorce, we now knew, was imminent. When things quieted down, my parents and I
talked about their marriage, and how they worked to keep it solid after all the
years. Eventually, they made it to 48 years together before my dad died.
Sometimes I crave that front porch. The intimacy of it, yet
all that it revealed about the broader world.
I often hear folks talk about how important it is to receive
life’s lessons from experience, but I know that if you really LISTEN to the
wisdom of those who’ve already been there, you can still absorb lessons that
change your lives. It was also thus that Jesus talked to his disciples,
encouraging them to listen and HEAR all he had to say. For me, for instance, reading
the Sermon on the Mount is akin to being on the front porch with God, taking in
all he had to share. Yes, we should put all he teaches into practice, but first
we have to hear him. In his words—and the words of those he has already taught.
My son, accept my words
and
store up my commands.
Turn your ear toward wisdom,
and
stretch your mind toward understanding.
Call out for insight,
and
cry aloud for understanding.
Seek it like silver;
search
for it like hidden treasure.
Then you will understand the fear of
the Lord,
and
discover the knowledge of God.
—Proverbs
2:1-5
