Little House on the Prarie

Last night I watched "Little House on the Prarie: The Final Farewell". It was on the Hallmark channel and I just happened to catch it as I was flipping through the channels. I grew up with Laura Ingalls and Nellie Olsen...I loved one and hated the other. I always enjoyed watching those two duke it out....my favorite episodes were the ones where they were pitted against each other in some conflict.

As I watched "The Final Farewell" there was a line at the end that struck a chord with me.

As the show goes, the ending is that the town of Walnut Grove is taken over by a mean and nasty business man named Mr. Lassiter who produces titles to all of the land in Walnut Grove showing him as the owner. The people had worked all their lives building the town and building their homes and farms and businesses. Imagine the anger the people of Walnut Grove had when this man showed up to tell them all that they had done to build their lives there was done in vain because he was the true owner.

They are given 48 hours to vacate the town or they will be forcibly removed. Laura (God love her) is shown in a scene expressing her anger at losing her beautiful home....her husband tells her to let it out....and so she does...she smashes all the windows in her home...and finds some comfort in knowing the new owner will have a lot of repairs to make on his property.

Laura's response sparks an idea with the rest of the town.....they all realize that this man owns their land but he doesn't own what they have built.....and so they decide they will all blow up their homes and businesses so that the new owner will not profit from all of their work.

The town is united in a powerful way through this terrible ordeal. When the 48 hours is up the whole town has been blown up except the church. Mr. Lassiter comes riding in to town and sees the horrific damage. Not only does he see it, but he had also invited all the mayors of nearby cities to see what awaited their town when he shared the news with their towns people that he also owns their land.

When he rides in Nells Olsen represents the group and tells him that he may own the land but he never owned what they built. The Colonel who came with Mr. Lassiter (to provide a show of force) agrees with Nells and tells him that the people of Walnut Grove have done nothing wrong and that he will not be pressing any charges against them.

Mr. Lassiter is speechless.....and then the mayor of the next city on his hit list says "if you try to come in and take over our town I can promise you that we will do the same as the people of Walnut Grove....we will not allow you to take what we have worked all our lives to build".

The Reverend Alder hears what he says and makes this very emotional statment: "Did you hear that Walnut Grove? Walnut Grove DID NOT DIE IN VAIN"....and the people cheeered and began singing (ok that was a little corny....but they always sang on Little House on the Prarie...usually it was "Bringing in the sheathes....etc) as they left the town that many of them had worked all their lives to build....and they left with their heads held high knowing they had prevented this mean and nasty businessman from wreaking havoc on the next town on his list".

I thought to myself....part of my healing is my desire to say, "Brian M_____ you did not die in vain.....I kept living....I kept dreaming....I kept the very best parts of you alive in our family....I took the lessons I learned from your life and death and did something with them....I did my best to keep your memory alive in the hearts of our kids....your life meant something.....it matters that you lived and it matters that you died....I am a better person because of your life AND your death.....You DID NOT DIE IN VAIN....


And, I think another part of my healing is when I am able to help someone else who is going through something similar....when I can hold my head high and know that what I have been through has not been in vain....when I can realize how God can take the pain and destruction in my life and use it to minister to others.....

And then....like the people of Walnut Grove...I have to leave behind that which has been destroyed.....and I have to rebuild....I don't have to forget what was once there....but I do have to walk on....appreciating what I had but understanding that it is now gone.....God help me walk on...wherever that may lead me.....