The Jericho Road

Today's gospel lesson was on The Good Samaritan. (The old testament reading was about plumblines, which I found highly amusing having grown up with a father who was a builder, but that is not the intent of this missive.) I think most people know the story of The Good Samaritan, though not sure about almost anyone under 35, what they do and don't know ever since I found out my young co-workers don't know Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, but I am going to assume for the sake of expediency, that everyone does know the story.

Anyway, when the priest delivered his sermon, he focused not on the familiar story but on the road where the Samaritan found the injured man, The Jericho Road. The road, as he described it, was 17 miles of desolate wasteland. As he spoke, I realized that I am on my own Jericho Road. However, I am surrounded by Samaritans. My friends, family, and colleagues have rallied and supported me on my journey by ensuring that my every need is attended too even before I ask. I am truly blessed.

Besides my mother, the person who has sacrificed the most to care for me has been my sister. She is a school teacher and a photographer in Chattanooga who gave up her summer to travel to Florida and help out myself and my parents. To do so she gave up teaching summer school and a part of her income. We offered to compensate her for the sum but she refused. So instead we have been buying her things: clothes, shoes, StarBuck's, makeovers. Yesterday was a good day for me, so we went shopping, and I bought her some more things. She started crying at one point overwhelmed by our generosity and said in all seriousness, "I feel like a cancer wh**e" (uh lady of the evening).

The problem with saying things like that or doing nice things for me, you know it's going to end up on my blog, and I warned her. But I didn't know that the sermon today would talk about Samaritans and desolate roads. The priest went on to talk about those that pontificated about the road and those who actually took action, like my friends and family. Unfortunately, I can't provide makeovers for everyone, so all i can do is say thank you for all you've done and all you probably will do until I reach the end of this particular road.