On the wall in my bedroom when I was between the ages of five and eight, hung a framed poster of lemons. The caption of the man in a puffy white hat exhorted, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” When I think of who I am, that silly poster encapsulates my reaction to new situations.
In raising our children, we are constantly thinking about the visual images to which we want them exposed, including corny posters. Hence, we love our Orthodox church, filled with images of holy men and women.
Children simply absorb their surroundings. By God’s grace we can continue to grow, but the American belief that one can reinvent oneself does not ring true to me. Our Thomas More compared Nicodemus to an onion years ago. Truly we are – ever growing, but growing from and around the beginning layers.
Thankfully, we can also make lemonade from lemons!
Beth
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