That Which Grows Beneath the Mountain
Home Is Where Monadnock Is
monadnock (noun) - in physical geography, an isolated hill or mountain rising over a peneplain, and surviving because of the superior resistance of its rocks or of its distance from larger rivers; a residual hill; named after Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire.
When we first moved to New Hampshire, Natalie, Graeme, and I were sitting in our old van waiting in line at Valvoline for an oil change and state inspection. Briana was still working in Massachusetts as a English teacher, and Mairi had not yet been born.
As we sat, Natalie suddenly blurted out: “‘Home Is Where Monadnock Is!’ Wouldn’t that make a great bumper sticker?!” Graeme squawked in agreement.
I chuckled as we pulled the van - which, it’s worth mentioning, was covered in bumper stickers - into the bay for its oil change. It was an easy phrase to remember, and I enjoyed that she’d turned that common saying into one with a rhythm of her own making.
There is so much to learn from our children. The simple phrases they come up with, like “Remember the Corn”, can have far deeper meaning. Such was the case with “Home Is Where Monadnock Is.”
Monadnock is our home mountain. She towers over out little corner of New Hampshire like a sentinel, appearing to us daily around corners and through forest pockets. Whenever we see her, we all scream in excitement. “Hello, gorgeous!” we cry.
When we travel, that first sight of her granite peak tells us home is close. There is such security in that. City skylines change, but our mountain never moves. She’s always there.
Here is another one of those connections my metaphoric mind loves to make: dad’s need to be Monadnocks for their families.
As dads, we want to be everything for our wives and children. We will always fall short of this ideal, but that doesn’t mean we cannot strive to be the best men possible. Being a Monadnock is a huge part of that.
The cultural tide of the present moment is one that moves against God and family. Like Monadnock rises up to stand alone among the surrounding landscape, Men of God must, through everyday actions, rise up to stand against the current tide. Our children need to see, regardless of what is being said, that they deserve life and are not a burden. At least not in the shallow sense so many like to believe.
It doesn’t matter that our kids keep us from sleeping in on weekends, cost money to care for, and cause general chaos. It doesn’t matter that it took me 20 minutes to write this sentence because Graeme woke up from his nap and wanted to snuggle.
Kids force us to care about something other than ourselves. It is our responsibility to help them grow. Yes, it’s a burden, but it’s one that helps us become better men and fathers. We just need to be open to it.
When we view our children as gifts from God, the words of Christ become true:
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)
God is not a random gardener. He does not plant anything in our lives that we are not capable of, including children. All he requires is that we ask, and listen.
If we stand as Monadnocks for our families, growing in the the heart of Christ to be gentle and humble, we will find great rest, and strength in his presence. Just as Monadnock rests in Glory, steady and calm against those storms that threaten to destroy her, so too can we rest in the Glory of God. And when we do that, all of the slings and arrows from those that seek to harm us will have no effect, for our rest is with God. And when we provide that home for our families, they thrive.
That is what can grow beneath the mountain.