Parson to Person
An ongoing 'imaginative/non-fictional' series. This is the 4th posting in the series.
I rehearsed on the way home. I imagined a gentle, “Honey, why is our 15 year old on birth control? Did you think to tell me before I went to the pharmacy?” Somehow those questions spoken calmly didn’t sound right to me. I also imagined it in an absolute tirade. I tried to sort out my emotions. Was I scared? Embarrassed? Worried? Angry?
When I got home, it didn’t go well. It came off much closer to the tirade than the gentle version.
“Brian, it’s not what you think. Our little girl is growing up. The doctor recommends this medicine to help with the severity of her cramps.”
I struggled to understand, “Sarah, why haven’t I heard about these cramps until now?”
“Brian, she’s not going to sit down and talk with you about her menstrual cycle. Don’t you remember the sex talk you had with her?”
I had ‘the talk’ with Dani a couple of years earlier. I struck up the conversation on the way home from a father/daughter movie date. I thought it went pretty well. Sarah told me the next morning that Dani was mortified. Sarah said she ‘fixed it’.
As I lay in bed that night praying and thinking it dawned on me that I was really wrestling with the change in my relationship with my oldest daughter. There was a time when I was the center of her world. Now we moved into this season of life where she would really only talk to her mom about some things. The change saddened me.
At the office the next morning another email from Jay Dukes was waiting.
From: jaydukes@finley.edu
Sent: 11/16/05 6:55AM
To: Brian Haas
Subject: Personal
Pastor,
Surely you know that using birth control is not the will of God! That you would purchase birth control and have one of your young daughters take it causes us grave concern. Moreover, the company that makes birth control also makes the abortion morning after pills. You are giving money to Satan’s cause! I am also disturbed by your needing to think about the email I sent yesterday. What’s to think about? Lastly, we are concerned you used the word ‘hottie’ speaking of a woman in a sermon illustration. Use of such slang and innuendo has no place in God’s house! What is happening with you pastor? I would like to meet with you ASAP to discuss this.
In His grace, Jay
I rehearsed on the way home. I imagined a gentle, “Honey, why is our 15 year old on birth control? Did you think to tell me before I went to the pharmacy?” Somehow those questions spoken calmly didn’t sound right to me. I also imagined it in an absolute tirade. I tried to sort out my emotions. Was I scared? Embarrassed? Worried? Angry?
When I got home, it didn’t go well. It came off much closer to the tirade than the gentle version.
“Brian, it’s not what you think. Our little girl is growing up. The doctor recommends this medicine to help with the severity of her cramps.”
I struggled to understand, “Sarah, why haven’t I heard about these cramps until now?”
“Brian, she’s not going to sit down and talk with you about her menstrual cycle. Don’t you remember the sex talk you had with her?”
I had ‘the talk’ with Dani a couple of years earlier. I struck up the conversation on the way home from a father/daughter movie date. I thought it went pretty well. Sarah told me the next morning that Dani was mortified. Sarah said she ‘fixed it’.
As I lay in bed that night praying and thinking it dawned on me that I was really wrestling with the change in my relationship with my oldest daughter. There was a time when I was the center of her world. Now we moved into this season of life where she would really only talk to her mom about some things. The change saddened me.
At the office the next morning another email from Jay Dukes was waiting.
From: jaydukes@finley.edu
Sent: 11/16/05 6:55AM
To: Brian Haas
Subject: Personal
Pastor,
Surely you know that using birth control is not the will of God! That you would purchase birth control and have one of your young daughters take it causes us grave concern. Moreover, the company that makes birth control also makes the abortion morning after pills. You are giving money to Satan’s cause! I am also disturbed by your needing to think about the email I sent yesterday. What’s to think about? Lastly, we are concerned you used the word ‘hottie’ speaking of a woman in a sermon illustration. Use of such slang and innuendo has no place in God’s house! What is happening with you pastor? I would like to meet with you ASAP to discuss this.
In His grace, Jay
2 Comments:
I have to agree with the 'hottie' complaint. Isn't that supposed to just apply to guys?
Oh wait. That's not what he meant, is it.
Looking forward to seeing how Brian navigates through this minefield.
By Radioactive Jam, at 11/25/2005 8:45 PM
... Seems to me that I've read some emails that sound a lot like Jay's. Is there a book, "How to Write Really Nasty Spiritual Emails"?
D--
By Higher Up, Further In, at 11/27/2005 11:11 PM
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