As a young boy, my great uncle, who everyone called Zenny, was quite the marksman when it came to throwing rocks, sticks and other available objects. My grandfather told of an incident when, as a young man, he had tackled his brother, Zenny, in the barnyard and was sitting on his belly, holding his arms to the ground.
As he watched Zenny’s face turn red with anger, he decided it was time to start plotting his escape route. He knew that when his little brother was released that the first thing he found would be hurled in the direction of his head. When time seemed to afford no better solution, he decided that his best course of action was to dart around the barn and hide himself in the woods until Little Brother had time to cool off. At the precisely calculated moment, while Zenny seemed a bit distracted, my granddad jumped up, blazed a trail around the corner of the barn and headed for the woods beyond. He was sure he could lose his assailant there, if Zenny chose to pursue.
Glancing behind as he rounded the second corner of the barn, he felt relieved when there was no sight of angry little Zenny. Just about the time the urgency had faded and granddad had reduced his speed to a trot, half of a brick came sailing over the top of the barn and hit him squarely in the back of the head. Zenny had found his mark!
I’m sure that for several days after the incident my grandfather would not be able to detect any humor in the healing, but every time I’m reminded of this historic event, I smile. The story reminds me of a verse of scripture that is often referred to as “The Golden Rule,” “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12).” Think about it; you have probably experienced both sides of this reality. So, next time you are tempted to mistreat a friend or foe, remember the half brick. Ouch!