To Which Image Should We Cling

Nostalgia, my sometimes-friend, an unwavering realist, visits from time to time with a flood of memories centering around the polar opposites that were~~Daddy. This daughter's mind's eye clearly sees the tired man who would work from dawn till dusk at the factory and then plow till dark. He taught, "Those who don't work don't eat." He passed his strong work ethic on to me. He had no opportunity to go to college, but he and Mama made sure their four kids did. They would have walked over hot coals to provide for their family. And he was so protective~~~ Then Nostalgia flips the coin. I see the man with the hair-trigger temper and recall wondering what could set him off badly enough to precipitate the devastating words he would frequently hurl at me with unbridled anger, leaving me emotionally prostrate. Praying consistently has enabled me to embrace this love-based truth: The good in us won't void the bad, nor will the bad negate the good. At last, I’ve learned to celebrate the GOOD in him, just as I should.