A Glen in Wales

Andrian Mourby is a Welsh writer. He has spent over 40 years trying to find a special spot over looking a special glen that his father used to take him to. It was very (obviously) secluded and it was just one of those special places, the kind of place you think back on, the kind of place that places you go to remind you of.

That glen only exists in Andrian’s mind these days because he can’t find it. His father found it because back before World War II he used to ride his bike on a little used path – it was his shortcut – that skirted the edge of it. He didn’t tell anyone about it but he did share it with his son.

Andrian only went there with his father. He never asked him for directions, he never took their picture together overlooking the place, dad never made a map. His father died and Andrian’s been looking for that special place for years.

And, boy does he look. He scours Wales for it whenever he’s there. He only knows one fact for certain – the glen was about 20 yards from a road. Over the years he’s stopped and moved through scrub and into woods for 20 or 30 yards a hundred times only to have to turn back because the glen isn’t there.

Andrian ends his story with a line that could describe us pretty well: “Why didn’t I ask when I had the chance? The problem is that we don’t know how much we don’t know until death takes away the parents and grandparents who were the repository of all these unknown things.’

We can make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

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