I grew up with a myriad of unique family clichés and metaphors. With each there was a story from my father or mother that we knew well. After hearing the story again and again, we knew the meanings without thinking.
“It’s good enough for Blackie,” referred to an exacting professor my dad had in university. His demand for student perfection was so high, that the recognition that a project was finished and as perfect as we could make it, was an verbal acknowledgement to the precise standards set by a teacher and legend.
Another expression was reference to a long forgotten car that had been purchased with the idea of restoration and resale. Things were on track until the discovery of a tampered odometer. From this event the expression and warning, “I would not say it was old, but if it was a new car its warranty would have expired.”
I have remembered and put the cliché to use anytime I consider purchasing something used. It has been a useful reminder to look honestly at what is beneath the surface. A recent conversation with someone new in my life, took my examination in a new direction.
Paraphrasing his words, the whinge at the time was, “I’m fading away to nothing, passing away, my youth gone, old before my time.” (Psalm 109.23)
As soon as the words came out, I could hear my father’s voice. “I would not say it was old, but…”
Visually I had not imagined. He looked young. He was open and energetic. His ideas were progressive and changing. Rather than argue, I started asking questions. As we wandered through his childhood, the defining events and moments, memories of good and bad, beauty and pain, I felt as if I was walking a journey eerily familiar.
As I talked of hope, I realized I was talking to myself as well as to him. When one takes care of the inside, even belatedly, many more miles are possible. I talked of beauty and timeliness. In every moment, we have an opportunity to make a difference.
