House in the woods I had watched, in tears, the PBS documentary “Welcome to Lee Maine.” I had met Mr and Mrs House at the troop greeters room in Bangor. Mr House;s brother was my kids guidance counselor in high school. Today I had my heart broken ,in a positive way, once more over their sad victory. My wife and I watched the video again tonight with new eyes, very tear filled eyes. It was a sad day in Lee Maine, that June day, Dee House’s birthday. One wants to say Happy Birthday to a friend or neighbor, but that day was not happy. But that birthday is not just the birthday of Dee House, it is the day that gave birth to an oasis of healing and help for many wounded bodies and bruised spirits. When one participates in a ride to benefit “The House In The Woods” it is more than just a fine ride (thought I confess to only doing the first 45 mies) ,one is also faced with the countenance of a family who took a moment that was born in tragedy and turned it onto a monument of triumph. He is alive today, though he was so close to taking his own life. He is alive today because he came and saw the face of grief turned into the face of Grace. He had planned to take his own life, but because someone laid down his life in a sandy place far away, this man is alive and has a purpose in life. He walked through the doors of the “House In The Woods.” How does a mother face the loss of a son in a war that is far away and should have been over for her son? How does a father ,who looked forward to years of fishing, hunting , and walking in the forests of Maine, deal with the heart stopping news that, for him, that is a faded dream. Today we were able to aid , in a small way, the ongoing ease of hurt. I feel honored to have been a part of providing life from death, hope from despair and a triumph from a tragedy. Paul and Dee and family, the way in which you have chosen to take the deepest despair of your own souls and reach into the deep despair of other to give them a hand up is an honor and privilege to watch. I believe that your son’s legacy will outlive what would have been his normal lifespan because you took the challenge and make a path of healing from a pang of hurt. Thank you for being true ministers of grace and hope. I am honored to have shaken the hand of those who birthed, not only a son who died in valor, but a solution that lives in victory. Thank you for letting us be a small part of healing those who defend and protect. I rode today in honor of a brother I never met.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 04:30:02 +0000
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