Endigar 166
When my children were small, beautiful, trusting faces looking to me for guidance and empowerment, I enjoyed telling them stories as if they were real. Their reactions were priceless. But then, I noticed that they would invest faith in what I said, and I would have to go back and correct what I had done. How would they know when to trust my words? Was I doomed to sacrifice the role of story teller so that they would know that I would always tell them the truth. They needed that from me. But they needed the interplay of the imagination as well. I was left with the choice of two roles because of this conflict; Father of Integrity or the Mischievous Story Teller.
A third way appeared to me. I sat down with them and explained my dilemma as best I could. I told them that we would have a code word between us. If I was telling them something, and they wanted to make sure it was true, they would just say the word, ‘CRICKET,’ and I would continue my story but include crickets in it, or I would just come out and tell them it was a fictional account. This safeword gave them the best of both worlds. That way, if I was telling them something I believed to be true, and they said cricket, and I continued to tell them that this was a true story, they could count on it. I never violated this arrangement with them, and I never intend to do so in the future. And yes, they have used this safeword even as teenagers.
It is hard for me to accept an either / or proposition. Give me two doors to chose between and I am looking for the secret panel hidden in the bookshelves. There must be a way that synthesizes the two apparently contradictory perspectives. When I am told that this is the way, walk ye in it, I begin looking around for hidden treasures. All the time I spent researching scripture I had a hunger for the occultic meanings tucked away between “Thee” and “Thou.”
I understand why Jacob struggled with God, and demanded to know His name. He really was just looking for his own safeword.
Daily Reprieve 
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