Olfar's Dropping

FORWARD

G.K. Chesterton says, “There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk around the whole world till you come back to the same place.”

I have been one of those who chose the second way; and this is a collection of stories of my experiences and findings on that long journey. It is my life journey across the years from boyhood, of dreams and hopes and faith and trust, to the time when, through trial and error, life’s lessons should be fully learned—and their meaning understood.

The question may well be asked: Why should I, a man of no importance outside my little world, indulge in such insufferable conceit as to write stories about myself, put stuff in print before the eyes of others?

It is not stories of achievement; I am not “rounding out” my life as a modern captain of industry or profession by shooting forth a bragging collection of stories to tell an audience how to become. No, God forbid! Though the stories are told with successes, failures and mistakes, the foolish acts and aims and wiser ones, the pathos, humor and the rest – this is merely my perspective and a collection of stories.

The important thing in the life of every man, is not what he has done or left undone, but what life has done to him—or for him—mentally or subjectively—spiritually, if you will. The worthwhile story has to do with the unfolding or shriveling of his soul, as he stumbles along the rocky road and up some steep ascent, or wanders down the primrose path.

Vanity, I hope, has not influenced me; certainly it has not been my compelling motive. The only compelling motive one should yield to in baring his life to other’s, is to show it’s final outcome; and even then such stories are largely futile unless they have a happy ending. I feel that I found some answers to life’s riddles that have been learned on the way. The reason for this story, then, lies in the fact that it will have a “happy ending.”

Each of us is a little secret world, whose inner life the outsider cannot hope to guess. Blunders, stupidity, suffering and struggle mark every human life to some extent; and they make far deeper marks than transient joy or happiness. The poor envy those men whose wealth appears to give him security, comfort, peace and happiness; but the rich man, loaded down by his cares and disillusions, often envies the poorer man. As a youth I envied popular people; but it was the envy of ignorance, for the day came when I discovered that they were mainly discontent, unhappy or uncomfortable.

In trying to see in retrospect the crowded years of a life that has reached it’s final quarter, one’s perspective of past events may be distorted; though at a distance it may be seen how these events are interwoven, and thus there meaning be better understood. We cannot have all the light, colors and shadows in a picture until it is complete.

This collection as presented, though it penetrates the world and wanders through a jungle of materialistic nothings, has little significance except as a completed picture. The worth-while moral in the stories is, that it is possible for a man, who has been a product of this hard, unbelieving materialistic age in which we live to become clear in the confessing my faith in unrestricted candor.
INTRODUCTION TO THE LEGACY LIBRARY

It is obvious that that the collection of words has not gone through the process of literary education nor have the efforts been blessed by reading of the great and not so great books. One of the novel’s I read was, the At Home in Mitford series with Father Tim and Cynthia as characters of class. For me, wordsmith is like taking a mental dump of thoughts, musings, meditations, memories without constraints, guidance, striving for a grade or acceptance. I would like to be free to be me. Now I’ve learned that freedom without a focus can be foolish and focus without freedom can be spirit squelching. A focus with freedom can be fruitful. I would like these words to be fruitful in passing on thoughts to those who will be members of our family tree that started June 26, 1947 when Gloria Joan Pflum and Eric David Wennstrom were married in the Los Angeles Evangelical Free Church, officiated by Reverend Morris Johnson. Reverend Johnson was the classiest person in attendance.

So the challenge of packaging is now.

The idea of writing a journal has come and left in my undisciplined life. Recently I received a book from my good friend Mike titled Henri J. M. Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey, a journal written the last year of his life. Those who know what I like to read understand my respect for Henri and his writings. He wrote about living, learning, laughing and loving with a focus on caring. This year I was challenged by my friend Bill to write a journal of my thoughts, actions and precepts. I resist the journal idea because of the hardship for me because it has to flow from day to day, month to month, year to year, etc.

By the end of the 21st century there will be over 300 people with my DNA droppings. It may be helpful for their journey if a collection of stories would be available to stimulate their thinking, especially thinking about the important elements in living. I have wished many times that I had stories written by my forefathers passed on for reflection and understanding of the family roots.

The idea of a collection of disconnected, unpredictable, light, deep, off the wall story’s, became the challenge of enjoyment to free myself of the pent up memories of experiences.

So I’m thinking of packaging the droppings into boxes such as, family, friends, likes and dislikes, meditations, musing, manure, travel, church, desires, challenges, ideas (bright and stupid). These are stories, without connections, maybe reality (maybe not), pain and problems, thoughts about the future, sifting out the negatives as much as possible with everything pointing to a happy ending.

I will need technical help from my grandchildren to take the droppings and package them with as much flair as possible. Scripture says that grandchildren are an old man’s blessing. I’ve found that to be 100% true.