My Aunt Kelly and The Two Way Prayer by Kathleen McAnear Smith
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| Photo credit Dawn Gaddis on Unsplash.com |
Aunt Kelly is beautiful Christian in many, many ways and she’s up to date on world news, has written a cookbook, and she makes a point of sending birthday cards and attending traditional family reunions- at least before Covid.
She also keeps a shotgun behind the living room curtain.
Several years ago, my husband and I did a road trip across America, visiting family and friends. Of course, we stopped by and spent a few days with Aunt Kelly.
We had just settled down on her living room couch, about to enjoy a pot of perfectly made English tea (So “your husband feels right at home,”). She loved my husband’s English accent, even if she thought my accent had gone a bit “skeewif, from living so long overseas.” She made perfect scones for this husband of mine, even if it was hot as blazes and he really wanted some of her very cold sweet tea.
We were just enjoying a little bit of mountain hospitality when suddenly Aunt Kelly flew up from her side of the settee and grabbed the shotgun from behind the curtain, slammed open the glass siding doors that had only been shut to get the air conditioning going and she ran out on the deck.
Bam! The gun went off as she aimed for a squirrel. Not only are squirrels just about my favourite little critter but seeing Aunt Kelly aiming for a second shot just about sent me into cross-cultural oblivion. While my husband ducked, I ran out on deck only to hear someone shout from below.
“Kelly! Kel-leee. I know that’s you up there on your deck and I want to remind you that you are not that good a shot. It’s me and John trying to play a little golf down here on the other side of the trees, so could you just wait until we’ve done another round before you continue your target practice!”
I, on the other hand, yelled, “Aunt Kelly! What in the world are you doing! How could you! This is what’s wrong with America. All these guns.” I was embarrassed bordering on humiliated.
“Oh don’t come that way with me,” she slipped her shotgun back behind the curtain, laughing but seeing a need for calming my husband down a little. He sat frozen. “All those bombs in London? Knife attacks?”
I did what we do in England. I poured a cup of tea and remained silent until I could compose myself. I had no words.
And this week I still have no words as I hear on the BBC that in my beautiful country of origin that there is a gun massacre every single week. I am still beside myself. Gun laws abound but nothing changes as I understand you can now make gun parts out of plastic copiers that have no serial numbers. It can’t be totally about mental health either. My Aunt Kelly is as mad as they come and she would never shoot anything more than a squirrel, if you don’t count what’s-his-name and his golfing buddy.
So, today I have decided to take a leaf out of the 12 Step Programme and practice something they daily carry out in group zoom sessions. It’s called “The Two Way Prayer.” You sit quietly for five minutes, listening to your higher power. You ask your HP for a question. My question as I write this is “What is Your next right step in getting gun violence to stop?”
It could be any violence, but I’ll start with my family.
And then you take ten minutes to write. You just write. No editing. It seems it might be tempting to edit something that we think isn’t important that upon reflection our Higher Power (Jesus) thinks is important. I pray and listen and write what I think Jesus is saying to me. I will be giving this a go this month, and I welcome reflections from anyone else who tries this Two Way Prayer.
Kathleen McAnear Smith has had three books published and is now working on book distribution with her publisher, Destiny Image Publishers (Europe, now known as Evangelista media) and Sovereign World (UK) Her new website is www.GlobalGrandmas.net
This is such an interesting well told story but also one that needs reflection. Here in the UK you have to have a licence to have a gun, which seems right. I have an American daughter-in-law but I could never live in America myself, as long as there is no restriction on guns.
ReplyDeleteHi. Blogger keeps saying in signing in that I am “anonymous,” but it’s Kathleen. So….we have gun laws. Anyone who wishes to own a gun needs a license- but(and it’s big), you can circumnavigate them fairly easily. Knife crime in London is more the English equivalent, but if you put it on the wider national scale of the USA then Houston we do have a problem. I am American and I want us to stop the one upmanship and mockery and arrogance of condemnation and get to some serious prayer support for a serious problem. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your response. Love, Kathleen
ReplyDeleteKathleen, this is such a poignant subject with superb storytelling. I regularly use two-way prayer and often receive a poem as an answer, though it does take more than 10 minutes. A good friend of mine was involved as a support worker during the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre. She still struggles with the horror.
ReplyDeleteKathleen here, not anonymous as my phone wants to say. Thank you so much for your reply. I have been aware of the recovery I needed from the July 7 London bombing ( living near the station where it went off and our whole neighbourhood affected). I believe we can have this conversation in a new way that doesn’t waste time in demoralised fear, but comes before our Lord and with humility asking Him what can we do. Feeling so supported by your reply. Thank you for joining in the small conversation.
DeleteI had never heard of the specific way of praying called two-way prayer but it makes such sense - we have to listen and we don't have to come up with the answers. I do journal and often find I end up asking God questions about what I should do, and receiving answers, so maybe I have been doing it without realising. Thank you so much for prompting me to return to this.
ReplyDeleteThat’s great! (Kathleen replying) This is party an effort to get myself asking some different questions from my usual request- prayers. Through this writing format I’ve become a little more interested in Father God’s hope/plans/ to do list than mine. There’s hope for me yet. I would love to know a little more about how you are doing with this, if you’re ever up for a chat. It’s still quite new for me.
DeleteWhat a fabulous story. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this is Wendy.
DeleteReading your experience in Aunt Kelly's house left me even more shocked than your husband. My first thought was, ' Oh poor squirell!!' Living in the UK has changed my life in many ways. Where in Nigeria , I wouldn't bat an eyelid to squash a snail, a chicken, a spider, a caterpillar, etc but living in UK for almost 20years makes me see all creatures as fellow creatives of our Father.Now, how much more fellow human beings? May God hear our prayers to stop the gun licence in the US and the knife and other crimes in the UK. Lovely post. Blessings.
ReplyDelete