Carsickness Forgotten

Seeking a way to comfort families grieving the loss of their loved ones I wrote this story:

There was a boy who always grew deathly ill of carsickness on long trips. It happened especially on the way to his grandparents home when the hills began to roll. He was in such pain, that he would complain to his father;

“Daddy, you have to do something. I think I am going to die. I can’t take it anymore.”

His Daddy wouldn’t say much. He would just keep driving toward the farm. “Well, if you get sick, don’t make a mess, son. Tell me if I need to pull over. Look outside the car. You’ll be better when we get there.”

Finally, mercifully, he would arrive at his grandparent’s farm and his suffering would end.

When he got to the farm he would take off his shoes and roll up his jeans and wade in the stream-
cold water washing over his feet
Smooth rocks beneath.
He would run in the grass,
Pick flowers for his mother.
And chase butterflies
He would fish
He would swim
He would climb trees
He would swing in the barn
And jump in the hay
And chase the dogs
He would lay on his belly in the field
and eat wild strawberries…
Then they would call him for dinner…
He didn’t eat too much…

Then after dinner they would put a piece of warm pie in from of him with a big glob of melting home-made ice cream.

And then as evening came he would lie on the porch and he would look up into the night sky at the bright stars.

Then he would climb the wooden stairs to bed
Crawl into the big poster-bed
And lost in the soft covers
With hay-scented air billowing the white curtains he would listen to the murmuring and the soft laughter of adult voices from down below and sounds of the frogs and the crickets out in the night.

Lying there with the weight of his grandmother’s quilt on him he couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be sick. He was so happy to be in such a wonderful place with people he loved
and with people who loved him.

We may be car sick on the way but there will come a time that the beauty of eternal life and the presence of perfect love will make us forget all of it and remember it no more.

Paul said it like this: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)