For most of my life I have had my eyes fixed on the future. I always seem to be planning for what is to come, worrying about what might go wrong, and preparing myself for the joys and sorrows that lay ahead of me. If you were to ask me what I have going on next week, I could tell you my schedule in great detail. If you ask me what I did last week, it would take me five minutes to pull that information from my memory banks, that is, if I could remember at all. The very title of this blog speaks to the way I approach reality – driven by the future, quickly forgetting the past.
With that said, I’ve been reflecting about the past more this year than I ever have before. Perhaps it is because I am now a father. Perhaps it is because I’ve entered my 30’s. Perhaps it is because I serve a congregation with a large number of elderly folks and have had to minister to people facing disease, death, and the end of their lives. Whatever the reason, I’ve been thinking a little less about what is to come and a little more about what has been left behind. This was especially true when I heard this weekend that radio legend Paul Harvey died on Saturday.
There are few things that remind me of my childhood more than the voice of Paul Harvey being broadcast over the air waves. My father’s father died when I was only five years old. I don’t remember much about him, but one of my distinct memories from childhood was visiting my grandmother and him in their house in Carrollton, Ohio, drinking sassafras tea, eating cinnamon toast, and hearing Paul Harvey on the radio. On the days that I would follow my dad to work as a kid, we would eat our sack lunches at noon sitting on a couple of five gallon buckets while listening to Paul Harvey report the news on my dad’s little AM radio. My last year of college, I had a class that dismissed at 11:45, and I would listen to Paul Harvey everyday as I drove back to my apartment for lunch. Throughout all the phases of my life, I have memories of hearing Paul Harvey on the radio.
In our world with rapid changes in culture, technology, and worldviews, Paul Harvey was an icon who seemed to transcend many of the boundaries of age and opinions. I imagine that if my grandfather was alive today we probably wouldn’t share a similar taste in music or fashion. I don’t really like Lawrence Welk, and I doubt that he would be a big fan of U2 or Pearl Jam. I’m sure he would be a lot better at working on cars, but I would be more skilled in working with computers. He would know a lot about the political issues that affected his life during the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. I would speak to the issues that are currently shaping our world in impacting my family. My grandfather and I would be divided in so many areas because of time and trends. There are so few things that link my generation to his generation. When Paul Harvey died this past weekend, I feel as if we lost one of those few links.
I’m not sure what this world is going to be like when Jesus comes back to fully establish his kingdom. I’m not sure if there will be radio when the dead in Christ are resurrected and Christ makes all things new. But, if there is radio, I hope Paul Harvey gets some airtime. And I hope my grandfather and I have a chance to once again sip on some sassafras tea, eat some cinnamon toast, and listen to the news from a radio legend.
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3 comments:
Great post! You put in words the very same things I've felt but haven't expressed or thought clearly about.
This is going to sound really crass, but losing Paul Harvey is like losing PB & J, or like losing ice tea. He was a part of life and those of us that didn't know him still had that sort of familiarity love that we have for people and things that we go through life with but don't necessarily get the opportunity to love in other ways. OBVIOUSLY he was much more--a man, husband, father--and someone to be loved by others for many reasons. But, STILL, he was loved by many of us and it stinks that he's gone.
Isn't it amazing how somebody we've never met can have such an impact on our lives in this day and age? I had a similar feeling when I found out that Kurt Vonnegut had died a couple years ago.
By the way, Jovi is just as cute as can be! She looks like she is going to be a little peanut for a while yet!
When I read that Paul Harvey died, I also felt some sorrow, and I think for similar reasons that I hadn't stopped to think about really closely. I have heard Paul Harvey all my life, and I have memories of riding around with my dad, or working in the garage with him, and Paul Harvey would be reporting the news. I have a feeling that most college students probably don't know Paul Harvey, but for those of us who were the children of midwestern AM radio listeners, there are fond memories!
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