Heartbeat

So what would we say to the people we love who have preceded us in death if we were able to go back and talk to them with the benefit of our present understanding?

Eli Stone is a new TV series that weighs whether the main character is hallucinating or is a prophet. "Heartbeat" is the title of the April 3 episode in which Eli returned to the past and tells his father goodbye; something he was not around to do when it actually happened ten years previous. His father's health was ruined via alcoholism. His addiction is exacerbated by the fact that he too had a brain aneurysm which may have led to his drinking while at the same time giving him the same sort of extra sensory perception he passed on to his son Eli.

As a dramatic reach its untenable of course, but the underlying premise holds oceans of water.

When we're young we don't understand, and consequently struggle with being able to forgive, the foibles of our forebears. At this stage in his life, and bearing the same physical/psychological/spiritual malady as his father, Eli Stone better understands and forgives his father's battle with the bottle.

My personal identification with the story line of this episode:

1) My father was an alcholic. I grew up broken-hearted and riddled with inner anger over his inability or unwillingness to stop drinking. Later, as I understood more about life's stresses and my father's upbringing I gave up more and more anger and wished so badly so many times I had an opportunity as a mature man to talk to him again.

When we began Celebrate Recovery at Pathway a few months back I began to appreciate the opportunity to talk with men with hurts, habits and hangups not only because it gave me a chance to share healing Scriptural truths with them, but also because I was able to continue my own ongoing process toward recovery from anger and hurt.

2) May my children look on me with understanding. May all children forgive the imperfections of their parents and empathize with the circumstances surrounding their early lives.