Garden is still pretty wet.  We have a sandy soil, but it may not be quite dry enough to plow, at least right now.  We are supposed to receive more liquid sunshine in our neck of the woods this week, we shall see as the week goes on.

While overcast it is a decent day, no wind and temperatures in the 60’s comfortable to be outside working.

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Luke 16:25-26 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Below is a brief synopsis, of the third act and some dialog from that act, of the Play, OUR TOWN, (from Wikipedia) it is a poignant play.  I saved the movie, but for some reason the machine didn’t record all of it, enough, that it took me a long time before I could try to continue to watch it – still haven’t finished it.

OUR TOWN is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens.

Third Act:  Nine years have passed. The Stage Manager opens the act with a lengthy monologue emphasizing eternity, bringing the audience's attention to the cemetery outside of town and the characters who have died since the wedding, including Mrs. Gibbs (pneumonia, while traveling), Wally Webb (burst appendix, while camping), Mrs. Soames, and Simon Stimson (suicide by hanging). Town undertaker Joe Stoddard is introduced, as is a young man named Sam Craig who has returned to Grover's Corners for his cousin's funeral. That cousin is Emily, who died giving birth to her and George's second child. Once the funeral ends, Emily emerges to join the dead; Mrs. Gibbs urges her to forget her life, but she refuses. Ignoring the warnings of Simon, Mrs. Soames, and Mrs. Gibbs, Emily returns to Earth to relive one day, her 12th birthday. The memory proves too painful for her, and she realizes that every moment of life should be treasured. When she asks the Stage Manager if anyone truly understands the value of life while they live it, he responds, "No. The saints and poets, maybe—they do some." Emily returns to her grave next to Mrs. Gibbs and watches impassively as George kneels weeping over her. The Stage Manager concludes the play and wishes the audience a good night.

Some of the dialog between the Stage Manager, Emily and Mrs. Gibbs:

Stage Manager:

And as you watch it, you see the thing that they-down there,

never know. You see the future. You know what's going to happen afterwards.

EMILY:

But is that-painful? Why?

MRS. GIBBS:

That's not the only reason why you shouldn't do it, Emily

When you've been here longer you'll see that our life here is to

forget all that, and think only of what's ahead, and be ready for what's ahead. When you've been here longer you'll understand.

EMILY:

Softly.

But, Mother Gibbs, how can I ever forget that life? It's all I

know. It's all I had.

MRS. SOAMES:

Oh, Emily. It isn't wise. Really, it isn't.

EMILY:

But it's a thing I must know for myself. _I'll choose a happy

day, anyway.

MRS. GIBBS:  No!-At least, choose an unimportant day. Choose the least ..important day in your life. It will be important enough.

EMILY:

To herself

Then it can't be since I was married; or since the baby was born.

To the stage manager, eagerly.

I can choose a birthday at least, can't I?-I choose my twelfth

birthday.

STAGE MANAGER:

All right. February 11th, 1899. A Tuesday.-Do you want

Any special time of day?

EMILY:

Oh, I want the whole day.

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After she had observed a while:

EMILY:

Oh, Mr. Stimson, I should have listened to them.

SIMON STIMSON:

With mounting violence; bitingly.

Yes, now you know. Now you know! That's what it was to be

Alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and

down trampling on the feelings of those ... of those about you.

To spend and waste time as though you had a million years. To

be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another.

Now you know-that's the happy existence you wanted to go back to. Ignorance and blindness.

It is a reminder that we take people for granted and need to stop and use our time wisely here on earth.

However, could that scenario actually happen?

We talk about how there will be no pain in heaven, no illness, no sorrow. 

If that is the case, then, I believe, God protects us from those things that would make us sorrowful.

If you will note in the exchange between Abraham and the rich man, he states there is a large gulf between them.

It doesn’t say that Lazarus saw or even heard the rich man.

I sincerely believe that God will allow us to recognize those friends and family who are in heaven, but will not allow us to look for those that are not.  We will not remember them, it would be too painful.

However, I also believe that part of the eternal pain for those who reject our Lord and His Son will be that they remember everything.  They will see those that told them of His love, they will see family and friends in heaven and realize there is nothing that can be done now, except suffer the consequences, seeing what could have been.....over and over again; forever.

And part of that will be knowing that those in heaven will not remember them.

Even as Christians we take life too much for granted as if it will never end.  We are careless of our words, careless of our time and our loved ones could suffer for that, for eternity.

Lord, help me to remember that there are friends and family in the world today that are in need of your salvation and may the Holy Spirit lead them to You, through me or someone else that they too will accept Christ’s sacrifice and celebrate with us forever worshipping You.

Later, Art (-: