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About the AuthorCarvings
It was two days till his 86th birthday. He had over-lived his allotted time on earth. Blessed, some said, with peaceful old age.
He sat there in his lawn chair overlooking the lake, and drinking his second cup of coffee. He was not troubled about anything particularly, just meditating as he did every morning. He sat watching squirrels and rabbits play, watched birds fly about looking for their food.
He had been remembering lately how his Grandfather had given him some wise council just days before he died. They had met in his Grandfather’s study, which now was his study, handed down to him from his Father.
Grandfather had invited him to pull his chair up close to his desk and had opened his Bible to Proverbs. He discussed principles, not necessarily for eternity, but for day-to-day living. As a young man he listened carefully, and purposed to use the wisdom he learned from Grandfather and Proverbs that day.
Now he was feeling the responsibility to pass on the wisdom that had worked so well for him to his three grandsons. Who knew just how long the Lord would allow him to remain on this earth?
The next morning the old gentlemen called for his grandsons to meet with him in his study. They were all in their late teens and already showing very distinctive signs of what they wanted in life. They were fine boys with marked possibilities.
“Sit down”, the grandfather instructed, then pulled out three blocks of wood from behind his desk, all the same size. He gave each one a block, and then gave each one a carving knife.
“Boys, take your block of wood and carve something out of it. We’ll meet back here in one month and see how and what you’ve carved,” the old man told them.
He dismissed them with one final word. “You can leave now, but don’t discuss your carvings one with another, nor with anyone for that matter. Keep your carvings and your knife a secret. Ok?” They agreed and filed out, looking at each other rather mystified.
Josh sat in his room, poised with his block of wood and knife, knowing he would get right into his project and he would seriously work at it till he made something he and grandfather and perhaps many others would consider a fine work of art. Whatever it took, patience, long hours, hard work, he would do his best. “What to carve”, he thought. “A magnificent horse, yes, a horse.” And he started on it even though he had never carved a thing in his life. His life for thirty days was consumed with this obsession, his carving.
The month passed and he proudly held in his hands a beautiful carving of a horse. He had carved, sanded, carved, sanded, polished, finished and stained it. It was one hair off of perfect, it was magnificent!
Marv, as he was called, carved a train engine. It was rather crude. Most folks would not have recognized what it was without being told. He had not taken near the time on it that Josh had taken on his horse. No sanding, no finishing. Marvin loved his Grandfather and wanted to please him, but he kept his well rounded agenda. So his thirty days were busy but he carved a little almost every day of it.
Robert was the youngest of the three boys. He was a deep thinker, very serious in temperament. His thirty days passed and his block had not been cut into, not once. He had purchased a whetstone to sharpen his knife. He had gone numerous times to the library to study books on wood carving. He attended an arts and crafts show and watched wood carvers work. He even purchased a book, “The Wood Carver’s Encyclopedia”, but he never cut into the wood block he was given.
He had dreamed a lot on what to carve and even saw in his mind him carving on several occasions. Robert was not a rebellious, defiant young man. He was a straight-shooter, honest, upright and principled.
The day arrived to meet in the grandfather’s study. The boys filed in. Josh presented his “horse”. His brothers were astonished by it. It was brilliant, faultless, stunning. The grandfather took it up and examined it carefully. He seemed impressed but then he proceeded to council Josh in a very strange way.
“Your carving became an obsession, an idol. It became your life. It was only intended to be part of something, not all. Your relationships, your grades, your chores, your prayer, your Bible study, have suffered. The carving of the horse consumed your time, your life. As a result you have not ever visited me for the entire thirty days.”
“This carving tells me about you. It’s not all bad to want to excel, succeed and do your best, but don’t lose your soul over any one project.”
“Don’t pursue until your health, your education, your sleep, your life is depleted. Your ‘horse’ took you away from reality of living, and sharing and caring. And though it is beautiful, it has cost you a great price. Josh, you will have to always be on guard against ambition and desire for greatness. Sometimes less is more. You could have carved a lesser horse and visited your ailing grandmother along the way. The horse will be a trophy but your grandmother will be taken away.”
“Josh, I’m not scolding you, just offering to help you. Learn to cover all your bases. Carve a little and give a little, and love a little.”
Next came Marvin. “What is this?” the grandfather asked, not in a hurtful way as he examined Marv’s carving.
“Grandfather, it’s a train engine. See, this is the smoke stack, this is the coal car”, he answered.
The grandfather smiled, pleased… “Oh,” he responded, “I see, a train engine.”
“Marv, you will be a hard working, well-rounded man. Your shirt and tie and slacks won’t match. You won’t ever be rich. You will not see a lot of rewards and hoopdalah in your life. You will be, however, a liver, a lover, a giver. You will be a helper. You won’t make a 100, just 87, but you will help your fellow man. Marvin, you are destined to be a good-ole-boy and your carving will always be a little rough.”
Robert came up to his grandfather with his block of wood just as it was given to him. He had a sick feeling in his gut that he had failed his grandfather. That he would be thought useless, or worse, defiant.
Robert started to apologize and beg for forgiveness. Grandfather held up his hand. “It’s okay son.” said the old man, “You’re fine. Of all of you, you are the most like me. I was the last of my brothers to find my career, the last to marry, the last to buy a home. I was always very careful of every move I made. I studied every step I took. Some thought I was retarded, I moved so slowly. But all that served me well. I made it quite well in life. Take this block back with you and carve when you are ready. Impatience has killed a many a man. Don’t let no one hurry you into anything.”
“Gentlemen, you are dismissed. You will all do well, just in different ways. Josh, please leave your horse with me, and Marv leave your train with me. Robert, I’ll wait to see what you carve. God bless you all.”
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