On our return journey, we sometimes passed the farmer of Nant-y-Calch, who wanted to know what mischief we had got up to. But he was too late, for we had already stolen all that pleasure! After  spending hours in the sun, we were so tired, and trudged homewards long distances apart.

After the burden of grief had eased, family life went on much the same as before Gwyn was born, and we were somewhat at a loss to understand the reason for his brief little life. On reflection, I think we had lived our lives around him     we enjoyed being in his sunlight. When  his moments of joy were at their peak, ours were too. And when he was being disciplined, we suffered with him, as if we were guilty too. But as disciplines were administered to him less and less, increasingly he lived only according to his will.

In just a few short years Gwyn had reached an emotional crossroads, and stubbornly refused to be deflected from his chosen course. He rejected any form of spirit readjustment. More to the point, to some degree he had taken the rest of his family along with him on his rebellious course. In fact, during his short life, our own shortcomings were exposed, particularly our failings toward one another.

Naturally, the young need to feel free to 'do their own thing', without petty restrictions. They don't relish always being  under the watchful eye of adults. And while discipline is vitally important for their emotional development, they also need to feel free to express themselves and to recover from the effects of parental discipline. When we were children, simple pleasures to which we were willing contributors gave us the greatest joy. Sharing in the innocent delight of our companions, joy which we helped to create, gave the greatest pleasure. For then, we were also fulfilling a primary part of our spiritual need:  Love.

This most important spiritual quality, the absence of which has led to a rundown of family relationships, is blamed for the erosion of standards in society as a whole, and rightly so. For example, we know that problems created by unemployment are a degenerative factor in society that cannot be ignored. But although not a direct cause of spiritual decline (as human relationships are not intrinsically physical, nor do they depend solely on material gain or loss) lengthy periods of unemployment can make it appear so. But while there are a few who want to know the spiritual truth in such matters, sadly they are in a tiny minority today.

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