Once there were two brothers.
Their life was good. House was nice. Had a lot of cool things. Always food on the table. Each got a car when they got their license. And they each had a lot of friends.
Now, Dad made a lot of money and early on he invested it wisely. He had always told his boys that when they each reached the age of 21, he would give them a large sum to begin their lives on their own. Things were pretty set for these two brothers.
The boys were quite different from each other. The oldest one was 19 at the time of our story. He was always the one who was content with his life. He was in an apprenticeship at the shipyard and the future looked good. He and his Dad never really had much conflict and living at home, for him, was A-OK. He showed quite a bit of responsibility and ambition.
Now, as families often go…the other son was his own self. He just never seemed content. It seemed like his dad never really understood where he was coming from. It was like he never did anything right. His 17th year had been the worst. He had a job, but he felt that even that had disappointed his dad because it was only at Burger King. Halfway through his 17th year, he decided he was going to emancipate himself so he could life his own life. There’d be no one he’s have to answer to. He would go where ever he wanted, with whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. So, he found out what it would take. He did the paperwork to prove himself responsible and to everyone’s surprise, he emancipated himself. This was the start of his life!
You remember that the dad of these two brothers had set aside a large amount of money for his sons to enter into adulthood with…
Well, the second son felt that he should receive his money at the point of his emancipation rather than waiting until he was 21. After all, he was now legally a responsible, independent adult. So, he went to his father and demanded his share of the money. It was with a heavy heart that the boy’s father complied. For the sake of relationship, he chose to toss caution to the wind. The boy’s father gave him the $700,000 that he had been saving for him. It was easily enough to buy a house, get some training for a better job, invest some and not go hungry. Even if he just chose to invest it all, he would be able to live quite comfortably for some time.
One factor in this brother’s life I haven’t said much about was his friends…they had some other ideas. During the year prior to his emancipation, this son and his friends had often taken the ferry over to Seattle and enjoyed the city life that had more to offer than Bremerton. The places to hang out were more exciting and it seemed like the people knew a higher level of the concept of “party.” So, once the son was free to go when ever, where ever and with whoever…the trips to Seattle became more frequent. It wasn’t long before he and his friends decided to move to Seattle. Broadway was the spot. There was always “life” on Broadway. They found a house right on the strip. The son had all the money he needed to make “life” happen. He made more friends quickly. His place became “the place” to hang out: day and night. If you were looking for a party, alcohol, drugs, sex, it all flowed freely at this son’s place. The son had money and he treated his “friends” with the best. They didn’t have to do or be responsible for anything. He had it all covered. They just had to be his friends. In return, the son got what he wanted; he felt important and needed.
This went on for quite a long time. $700,000 is a lot of money. Or is it? Eventually reality hit. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Yes, eventually the money ran out. But, his friends were depending on him to make the party happen. He started selling for the dealers he’d been buying from. Suddenly, they weren’t so friendly. Suddenly, they were demanding. They were violent. He had to produce. But, he had to keep the party going. Next, he turned to selling himself. Just as he had hired others to be available for his friends, he now made himself available to others. As hard as he scrambled to maintain his importance, he couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t pay his bills. He lost everything. He finally found himself sleeping in the park, under a bridge or down the alley behind some restaurant that might have some “good food” left in the dumpster. Yes, he lost everything. He lost life.
At the bottom, he began to think of home. No, he couldn’t think of that. He’d chosen to leave that. He couldn’t go back. How could he ever face his dad. He’d blown it all. He’d left with such angry words. No, he couldn’t think of that.
His hell continued. How could he ever face his dad.
One night he decided he could take it no longer. There were only two options. Either he could cry to his dad for forgiveness or he could end his life. Truthfully, he thought that ending his life might be the easier option. As he contemplated this, his thoughts were again drawn to his dad. He knew his dad’s heart. Yes, that was where he would go.
As the midnight ferry approached the Bremerton dock, there was a lone figure standing out on the platform watching it’s arrival. This lone figure had been standing in that same spot every night since that son had left months before.
When the son walked down the ramp, his father rushed to him and enveloped him in his arms. “My son, my son,” he cried.
After a time, the son pulled away, crying, and asked his father if he could forgive him for walking away from all that his father had given him in his home and family.
“My son, oh my son, it’s all done now. Let’s start from here. Let’s start again,” was all that he could reply.
