{"id":3304,"date":"2024-10-14T12:22:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T19:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stevegillard.com\/erleichda\/?p=3304"},"modified":"2024-10-14T13:32:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T20:32:30","slug":"prodigals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevegillard.com\/erleichda\/2024\/10\/14\/prodigals\/","title":{"rendered":"Prodigals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

Prodigals<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve heard
\nThe Story,
\neven if You\u2019re not
\na Righteous Reader of
\nHoly Writ.\u2028<\/p>\n

The Errant
\nDisrespectful,
\nSelfish Son
\nWho Strong-arms
\nHis Father to
\nPurloin a Share
\nof The Family Jewels
\nby Abusing His
\nBirthright.<\/p>\n

Then creeps Home
\nto Beg a corner
\nin the Barn,
\nto Sleep and Cower,
\nafter Losing
\nthe Jewels
\nin Faraway Flings.<\/p>\n

To which
\nHis Father grins
\nas wide as His Arms
\nstretch to Welcome
\nHis Boy<\/p>\n

to a Celebration
\nin which the Neighborhood
\nwill Feast in Joy
\nat His Return.<\/p>\n

I imagined my own Version
\nof this Parable of
\nUnconditional Adoration,<\/p>\n

wherein Grandma offers
\nHer Cherubic Grandson
\na Bowl of Chocolate Ice Cream,
\nserved in a Bowl
\ngiven to Granny by
\nHer own Grandma.<\/p>\n

But Little One
\ngrabs the Bowl and
\ndrops It,
\nShattering The Heirloom
\nin His Eagerness to
\nAdd More Scoops.<\/p>\n

Grandma Smiles and
\nScoops Him Up,
\npulls Him Cheek-to-Cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Tears
\nMy Cherished Chickadee,<\/p>\n

there are Plenty More
\nWhere That Came From.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo by Jordan Whitt; UnSplash)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Prodigals You\u2019ve heard The Story, even if You\u2019re not a Righteous Reader of Holy Writ.\u2028 The Errant Disrespectful, Selfish Son Who Strong-arms His Father to Purloin a Share of The Family Jewels by Abusing His Birthright. Then creeps Home to Beg a corner in the Barn, to Sleep and Cower, after Losing the Jewels […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poems"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t