Nardo, Pinkman and Valmaggia stole our futures and our innocence – We are trying to rebuild what was shattered years ago  –  By a Mirfield Old Boy

What does upset me is that here I am in old age – trying to put together the pieces that were shattered when I was young. That’s sad. You should never have to spend your last years trying to put right your early years. We should be enjoying what we have accomplished and what we cherish.

I never thought about it like that before – but that is where we all are -we are trying to re-build what was shattered years ago – but we are not able to achieve that. Nardo, Pinkman and Valmaggia stole our futures and our innocence.

That is a terrible crime when you think about it. When you destroy a person’s hopes and dreams – you steal something precious and good from them. They destroy a part of our broader human instinct which is to unselfishly protect and enrich and treasure others and help them to achieve a meaningful life and rich life. We have achieved that in a narrower sense with our children.

In a way, having children is also a similar spiritual journey in the same was as the priesthood – because we help and treasure them so that they can lead a rich and fulfilled inner life. In that sense parenthood and priesthood are not incompatible at all. They can compliment, inform and enrich each other.