He is so old that his name is Uncle Dewey, and his face looks like a book of history, hard cover. I watched a documentary on video tape last night on the Gospel song Amazing Grace. In the show, an old African-American man was celebrating his birthday with his family in a little southern town in the U.S. Sitting calmly in front of his humble house, he looked weathered, but not beaten, by the many "toils and snares" in life that any American black male in the last century could not be lucky enough to escape. His eyes are blurring, sure, for holding pains, anger and tears - how many turbulent events and incidents has he witnessed in the last, say, eighty years? I listened to the letter his niece wrote to him and jotted it down. Although the verse in the letter sounds like Longfellow's awkwardly rhymed Psalm of Life, I find its simple admonitions more affecting. Here it goes:
"To my uncle on his ninety-first birthday. May I start by saying, God loves you and so do I.
What is life?
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a journey, complete it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is a beauty, praise it.
Life is a goal, achieve it.
Life is a tragedy, face it.
Life is a duty, perform it.
Life is a mystery, unfold it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is love, love it.
Uncle Dewey, I think this is what you have done in your lifetime�" (See how much he has accomplished!)
After the letter reading, the thoughtful Uncle Dewey started to sing:
"Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Twas grace that brought me safe and this far,
And grace will lead me home."
Then he said, "ain't that great?"
Yes, it's great. He is cool.