It is just ME, or do you, too, have a little secret that you’ve kept – or tried to – for
years?
Oh, sure you do; we all do…I think!
I remember being at my Grandmother’s
house; I was probably about 5. Nanny had
a beautiful collection of tea-cups and saucers. I’m not sure if I was allowed
to help myself to one, but, I did. Don’t
you know…I dropped the saucer and it shattered.
I remember trying to hide it under what seemed to be a huge bed in an
upstairs bedroom, but I was quickly found out.
I haven’t thought of that moment in
many, many years, then, this sweet story crossed my desk and the memory came
flooding back.
Please read this simple story and
whether a vase, a saucer to a tea-cup, or something else, I hope a sweet memory
floods your heart, as well…
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A Parent’s Love
for the Family Treasure
There
are all kinds of love. The passionate romantic love immortalized and often
fantasized by poets and novelists; Platonic love among friends, the love of
humanity preached by missionaries and ministers, the love of country, and
even the love of our work. I’ve been fortunate to have
experienced all of these forms but none has impressed me more than the
deep, enduring and totally unselfish love I feel for my children. That’s
why I “love” this parable.
A
6-year-old girl I’ll call Sarah knocked over a display case that contained
a much-cherished vase once owned by her great-grandmother. Her mom loved
that vase and frequently referred to it as the family treasure. The vase
hit the floor with a loud crash and
shattered into pieces. Sarah, shocked and frightened at what she’d done,
screamed and began sobbing.
Her mom came running into the
room fearing the worst. Seeing the shattered vase, her heart sank. Then she
saw Sarah sitting on the floor wailing. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m sorry,
Mommy. I broke the family treasure!”
Seeing despair on her daughter’s
face, the mother’s heart plunged further.
Faced with two powerful and
conflicting instincts – one toward anger and blame, the other toward
compassion and forgiveness, she sat next to Sarah, pulled her on her lap,
and kissed her tears. “Sweetheart, when I ran in here, I was terrified that
something bad had happened to our family’s most precious treasure. But
thank God, you’re okay. Sarah, you are the family
treasure.”
Sarah’s mom turned what could
have been a painful incident and a lifelong source of guilt into an
enduring source of affirmation and worthiness.
I wonder if I would have had the
presence of mind to realize in the instant after an upsetting event that I
could choose my reaction and that my choice would have a permanent impact
on someone I love.
The reaction of Sarah’s mom was
nothing short of heroic and stands as a reminder that, even in the face of
powerful emotions, we do have choices — and they really matter.
Remember, character counts.
So, IS it just me, or do you, too, wish to thank Michael Josephson for sharing this story and for
reminding us what’s most important in life and as the saying goes life is
10% what happens and 90% how we react to it.
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It’s good to think before reacting
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