The Grocery Store: A Parable

#45

Friend,

Steve, 7, was lost, alone, and scared in the grocery store. He was looking for his Mama.

When you are 7, lost, alone, and scared, the aisles are towers, the rows are miles long, and all the food looks the same. Seconds feel like minutes, noises are everywhere, and doom enters in.

Steve is so scared he can’t speak. He can’t call out for his Mama.

Steve wonders all sorts of terrible things. “Did Mama leave me alone on purpose?” “Where will I sleep if I can’t find her?” “Will my sister have all my stuffed animals?” Because when you are lost, alone, and scared (even if you aren’t 7), then your doom can easily reign.

Suddenly, he remembers what a kid said at school to him when he was afraid, “Just be brave.”

He tries.

He fails.

He’s even more scared. It’s been 42 seconds, but it feels even longer.

An announcement comes over the intercom, he hopes it is his mom’s voice, but instead, all hears is, “Clean up on aisle…”

He can’t take it anymore. He feels like running, but instead, he just sits down and starts to cry.

Suddenly, he remembers the words his Mama said to him after he hurt himself on his bike and got back on it after he fell, “You are braver than you know. Can you be brave for one minute?”

And he was. He got back on the bike, and he rode for five minutes.

He takes a deep breath and decides to be brave for one minute.

He looks up and starts walking down the aisle, and he sees her coming around the corner.

He starts running, and so does his Mama. They hug, they cry, and then he says, “I was brave Mama, but I’m glad that minute is over.”

Love,

Aaron

P.S. I thought it might be fun to try writing a parable, so let me know what you think. I’ve never done parable writing before, so I’d love some feedback and help. Stories can catch us in ways that phrases never will.