A Footnote to Yesterday's Post

Consider this post an addendum to yesterday's most-influential-books list. Judging by Jollyblogger's question, I may have left the mistaken impression that Thornton Wilder's Our Town influenced my faith. I suppose it may have, but only in a very roundabout way. Wilder's play has a rather cold universalism about it (with regard to the afterlife), and God is a stoical New England character, more or less a deistic conception, although with a tinge of affection. But I didn't think of these things at the time. No, it's just that this play kind of shook me awake. Its message is that life is precious, and creation is more unimaginably glorious, even at the small and the ordinary level, than we realize. It made me want to shout to the world, Wake up everybody! We're all going to die soon! Love each other while you can! The funny things is--come to think of it--I fell asleep too, before long. The next shaking-awake would not be by Wilder or any other human hand, but God's own. But that would not be for some years.