Let Me Tell You A Story

Rob Parsons

• Publisher: Hodder Faith
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781473670969
• eBook ISBN:
  9781473670983
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

For 30 years Rob Parsons has travelled widely across the UK and around the world, sharing his own stories of the ups and downs of life, and listening to the stories other people have to tell of their own lives. Tell Me A Story brings together the best of these stories - from heartwarming tales of family life to challenging accounts of coming through heartache and loss, from business success and money worries to sage advice on how to set priorities and find direction for our lovesThrough them all Rob weaves his spell as a storyteller, so pull up a chair and settle in to enjoy!

Parenting is a high calling. We are almost standing in the shoes of God and creating. I’ve heard the period when our children are small described as ‘the special years’ and I think that is a good definition. Those years are a special opportunity to build memories, to encourage, to develop character and impart values that may last a lifetime. But that window of opportunity passes so quickly. Somebody once said, ‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ I know of no clearer explanation of that than the song, ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’.3

Cat’s in the cradle

My child arrived just the other day,

He came to the world in the usual way,

But there were planes to catch and bills to pay.

He learned to walk while I was away,

And he was talking ’fore I knew it, and as he grew,

He’d say, ‘I’m gonna be like you, Dad,

You know I’m gonna be like you.’

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

‘When you coming home, Dad?’

‘I don’t know when,

But we’ll get together then, Son,

You know we’ll have a good time then.’

My son turned ten just the other day,

He said, ‘Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let’s play.

Can you teach me to throw?’ I said, ‘Not today,

I got a lot to do.’ He said, ‘That’s OK.’

And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed,

Said, ‘I’m gonna be like him, yeah.

You know I’m gonna be like him.’

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

‘When you coming home, Dad?’

‘I don’t know when,

But we’ll get together then, Son,

You know we’ll have a good time then.’

Well, he came home from college just the other day,

So much like a man I just had to say,

‘Son, I’m proud of you. Can you sit for a while?’

He shook his head, and he said with a smile,

‘What I’d really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys,

See you later,

Can I have them please?’

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

‘When you coming home, Dad?’

‘I don’t know when,

But we’ll get together then, Son,

You know we’ll have a good time then.’

I’ve long since retired, and my son’s moved away,

I called him up just the other day.

I said, ‘I’d like to see you if you don’t mind.’

He said, ‘I’d love to, Dad, if I could find the time.

You see, my new job’s a hassle, and the kids have the flu,

But it’s sure nice talking to you, Dad.

It’s been sure nice talking to you.’

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,

He’d grown up just like me.

My boy was just like me.

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

‘When you coming home, Son?’

‘I don’t know when,

But we’ll get together then, Dad,

You know we’ll have a good time then.’

There are few of us who won’t feel guilty when we consider these issues, but the good news is that whatever their age – whether they are three or thirty-three – we can make a difference in our children’s lives. Many a child has discovered a relationship with their mother or father years after leaving home, but even at that stage of life, the same two ingredients are needed as when our children are small: time, and the courage to seize the day.

Having said that, there is no doubt that the time we spend with our children in the early years is vital – they are indeed ‘the special years’. So consider the eighteen years of childhood and imagine for a moment that an egg-timer contained not sand but days. When your child was born, there were 6,570 days in it. If your child is ten years old, 3,650 have already gone. You have 2,...

Table of contents

• Cover
• About the Author
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Let me introduce you
• Around a fire
• My favourite love story
• Dreams and fears
• The wonder of cash
• Information please
• A man looks back
• The red chair
• Cat’s in the cradle
• Fellow travellers
• Let’s go fishing
• Let the rabbits run
• We always . . .
• A little education from a dog
• Bring on the clowns
• Loved
• To my wife
• The letter
• ‘Everybody Else’s Father’
• The day her father left
• Just too busy
• The alien and the earthling
• The man who changed my life
• Beyond the grip of Alzheimer’s
• Johnny Lingo and the eight-cow wife
• A few geese . . . and a lesson on team work
• Chasing the dream
• No regrets
• Held by God
• January love
• Ready for parenthood?
• The postman
• The promise
• The last sixty minutes
• Judge not, lest . . .
• Pick me!
• The gift of a grandparent
• Nobody ever said . . .
• Come in, teenager! It’s earth calling
• The mystery of sex
• Beds for all
• When the past comes visiting
• The wrong kind of love
• A toddler’s property laws
• Always leave a light on
• When your best isn’t good enough
• I know where I’m going
• Bearer of hope
• Proving the kiss still works
• Somebody at the gate
• Planning for the future
• Notes
• Imprint Page