Somewhere in this universe is a timeless, undeniable force. It\u2019s stronger than granite, steel, majestic mountains towering into the sky\u2014or nuclear fission.<\/p>\n
Sooner or later\u2014in strange and different manifestations\u2014that force touches every human. Sure, some pass it off as a phenomenon that somehow cannot be reduced to exact scientific formula. To others it is the hand of the Almighty\u2014a reminder that regardless of the grandeur of man and his accomplishments\u2014God is still \u201crunning the show\u201d here on earth.<\/p>\n
Now, I want to tell you of such an experience. I have remembered it across the years and it will ring in my memory for as long as I live.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about my dad\u2014God bless him!<\/p>\n
Let me explain a little about my dad. He was one of the most brilliant and warm persons I have ever known. A lecturer, newspaper man, magazine writer and raconteur\u2014he was at home in any society. He was the well-rounded man I always wanted to be.<\/p>\n
Of course, he had his failings, too. One was a disinclination towards business and finance. As a result, he went through several small fortunes and sometimes things were tough at home. That\u2019s why I went on my own at 15. But I never blamed Dad.<\/p>\n
All this is prelude to the point I want to make. But, if in telling it\u2014one human, faltering on the precipice of lost faith or shaken belief\u2014takes heart\u2014my telling the story will have been worthwhile.<\/p>\n
For out of it, I learned first-hand about that timeless force in this world. Now, whenever the adulation of the crowd dins in my ears\u2026 whenever temporary wealth and fame assault my senses and balance\u2014it helps me remember that force\u2014transcendent above the world itself.<\/p>\n
It makes me remember how the hand of God is at work constantly and I am humble in His presence.<\/p>\n
It was in 1923. I was stationed on board a Navy destroyer\u2014in charge of radio communications. I had knocked around a lot since I left home. The years and life had not been too kind but the Navy had been a sanctuary, the only security I had known for a long time. One day, tired, I fell asleep in my bunk and I dreamed.<\/p>\n
My dad\u2014I had not seen him for years\u2014suddenly walked into the room. He offered his hand, saying, \u201cSo long, Son.\u201d I answered, \u201cSo long, Dad.\u201d I said some kind of prayer. It wasn\u2019t eloquent but it came from the heart.<\/p>\n
I never saw him again. When I woke up, my buddies told me that at the exact time while I was asleep, the wires from shore hummed the news of my dad\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t tell me about science and its exact explanation of everything. Some things are bigger. God is the difference. He gets around.<\/p>\n