Fractal Swiss Cheese No. 1, by the author, Deeann D. Mathews
Six-year-old Grayson Ludlow was a contemplative little soul like his eldest brother 10-year-old Andrew, and less like his more outgoing and learning-by-experience little brother Robert (5), and elder brother George (9).
Grayson and Andrew could often be found sitting together and discussing the great mysteries of life as far as they could understand them, in that tenderness of years in which the blend of true sincerity and true stupidity are expected and excused under the truth of childhood innocence.
The two thoughtful brothers were listening to their grandfather in the morning, his great deep bass softly and beautifully singing William D. Longstaff's most famous hymn, written in 1882:
“Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.”
They picked up that their neighbor, Sgt. Vincent Trent, was harmonizing in his fine baritone as well.
“It's like birdsong for men,” Andrew said, and Grayson smiled.
“What does it mean to be holy, Andrew? It sounds like it is a really good thing to be.”
“Well, from the song, we can figure out it means being the kind of person God would like to have as a close friend,” Andrew said. “Sharing and caring, living close to and thinking about the other person, helping and asking for help, and doing good things together, but just with God first, because He's no. 1.”
“Is it kinda like having a big brother?”
“Kinda … but probably more like having a much, much, much, much bigger version of Grandpa.”
“Do we have to eat the Bible?”
“That means to feed our minds, Grayson, by reading.”
But it was the food part that stayed in Grayson's mind until at last, light came to his mind when Grandma went shopping and presented Grandpa with a great big package of Swiss cheese slices.
“That's it – thank You, Lord!”
But Andrew was not available to talk with about what to do next, because he and eldest sister Eleanor (11) and George and middle sisters Edwina (8) and Amanda (7) were all working on the family business with Grandpa and had just come inside to help Grandma, Grayson, and Lil' Robert put all the groceries away. Andrew, George, and Eleanor had to go right back outside, so that left Grayson to consult with Lil' Robert, Edwina, and Amanda.
Amanda and Edwina were very thoughtful little girls, but also very seven and eight.
“Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Grayson!” Amanda said. “We can make our favorite Bible verses into words and eat them!”
“If we're going to feed on it, then we really need to feed on it!” Edwina said.
“Now, wait a minute!” Lil' Robert said. “Do y'all know how many words there are in a Bible? Papa has been reading us stories since we got here, and he's still nowhere near the end of it!”
“I don't know if we have enough Swiss cheese for all of that,” Edwina said, “and then, there are so many good Bible stories.”
“I heard Sgt. Trent say next door the other day that God is the Holy One – so why don't we just make some holy ones to show we are on His team?” Grayson said.
“That's it!” Lil' Robert said.
“I'll go get my stencils!” Edwina said.
“Yeah, and our little scissors and stuff,” Amanda said.
“If we get some string, we can just put our ones around our necks – and we gotta make some for Velma, Milton, and Gracie next door,” Edwina said.
“Right, because it would be unholy to leave them out,” Grayson said. “Andrew said sharing and caring is part of being holy!”
“I'll say it is!” Lil' Robert said. “I'm not sure about what it all means, but it sounds right to me!”
Mrs. Ludlow was busy in the kitchen, working on preparing dinner and also casting an eye out into the living room quite often to make sure that Lil' Robert, Grayson, Edwina, and Amanda were in sight. They were, and she had a snack prepared for them when they peeled off and came into the kitchen, but it wasn't the snacks they were after although they were glad to get them. While Mrs. Ludlow was handing out snacks to Amanda, Edwina, and Lil' Robert, Grayson was right behind her in the refrigerator, getting out the Swiss cheese.
“I was wondering where you were, Grayson,” she said when he returned to the kitchen after putting the cheese in the living room.
“Thanks, Grandma!” he said. “You just don't know how helpful you have been today! We're making a one for you too!”
“Don't run with your snack, dear.”
With snacking all done, bowls returned to the kitchen, and hands freshly washed at the sink, it was time to get to work for Grayson, Amanda, Edwina, and Lil' Robert … and it was Mrs. Trent that called to alert the Ludlows of their youngest grandchildren's handiwork.
“Hi, Thalia,” Mrs. Melissa Trent said. “I'm just calliing because my daughter Gracie is walking through my home putting Swiss cheese pendants on everyone here including her dog and cat, and wanted me to be sure to thank Grayson for being so holy and so nice as to make sure we all know we are on the Holy One's team.”
“Oh no,” Mrs. Ludlow said. “He misunderstood the song his grandfather was singing this morning!”
“Kind of,” Mrs. Trent said with a laugh, “but also kind of not. It's like my husband says: God doesn't bless us for us alone, so, Grayson kind of does understand.”
Meanwhile, in the back of the house, Capt. Ludlow and his elder grandchildren were sitting down and resting for a few minutes after having put their carbonator away – the Ludlows supplemented their income by making soda to sell locally, and it was one of the Big Batch Days of the week. Thus they were surprised by the joy of the younger grandchildren as they ran out and put their new pendants around their family members' necks.
It took Capt. Ludlow's mind a few moments to catch up with why he had Swiss cheese around his neck, and why everyone in the world around him had Swiss cheese around their necks … he hadn't asked for the explanation that the four youngest children all at the same time were giving to their elder siblings, nor could his ears keep up with it. Still, it was too crazy to be a PTSD hallucination; it had to be real and there had to be a reason that all the sandwiches he had been looking forward to making were now a fashion statement on the cul-de-sac he shared with the Trents.
Grayson did not disappoint, of course.
“So, Andrew and I were listening to the song that you and Sgt. Trent were singing this morning, and it was so beautiful that I thought I should be holy too, so when Grandma pulled out the Swiss cheese I knew I could feed on His word, but then Lil' Robert said there were so many words to pick from, but thenI remembered Andrew said that God was No. 1, and then I remembered that he also said sharing is caring is holy too, and then I thought that everyone around here wants to be holy too, so I made ones for everyone so that everyone can be holy and feed on God's Word at the same time!”
“Grayson,” Capt. Ludlow said, very gently, “that's two different things. The word holy in the song means to be set apart to God, Who is set apart from sin and sinners – He is always perfect, so being holy for us is to be like Him as much as possible. That's spelled H-O-L-Y. Swiss cheese has a lot of holes in it, but that's holey – H-O-L-E-Y, meaning that it has a lot of holes.”
Grayson's big gray eyes gave his grandfather that look that meant “does not compute.” He was, after all, only six, and his brain had already done its absolute best.
Andrew filled the gap, however.
“God doesn't have this many holes in Him, so He's not holey like Swiss cheese, Grayson.”
“Oh, now I get it!” Grayson said.
“Does that mean we can go on and eat these?” Lil' Robert said. “I mean, I already know who I am, and who I am is hungry!”
Capt. Ludlow covered his face with his hand … all those visions of Swiss cheese midnight snacks for him and Mrs. Ludlow alone … but then again, he realized that he, in this moment, was being called to a show of real holiness instead of real temper.
“Tell the Trents to bring two slices of their favorite bread each, and we'll make all this cheese into grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone.”
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”
Much later, Capt. Ludlow was sitting down on the back porch, tiredly watching the sunset, when Grayson bounced out and onto his lap.
“I get it now!” he said. “You were sharing and caring and understanding and not getting mad and making friends with God's children next door and helping me learn because my brain is not all the way grown yet – that's what God would have done, so, that's how to be holy!”
“Yes, Grayson,” he said, and smiled as his little grandson kissed him all over his face.
“I know God is No. 1,” Grayson said as he slipped down, “but you're the best No. 2 in the world!”
Then he ran back into the house and came back out and put a big No. 2 pendant on his grandfather, a pendant made out of paper this time, all decorated with hearts and paper planes made by Amanda, Edwina, and Lil' Robert.
“I love you too, Grayson, Edwina, Amanda, and Lil' Robert,” the grandfather said gently, and listened to them rejoicing before they ran out and nearly broke his chair, climbing up to give him a kiss.
“Well, Lord,” he said when all was at last quiet again, “it could have been much worse. Thank you for not letting Grayson misunderstand 'I Am On the Battlefield For My Lord,' for just one example! The world is not prepared, and neither am I!”