Live between steps
12 Baskets Full
A Tabitha Basket April 2021
Today we celebrate international Tell a Story Day.[1] A powerful tool in any generation, this is an art that has survived the ages. A beautiful way for families and friends to cherish shared experiences and re-live adventures, it can take place in any medium. From plays and dramas to movies and books, a story easily bridges the generation gap as well as the cultural divide. Both entertaining and educational, most of us will agree that the best stories come from real-life experiences.
In celebration of the power of story, I would like to finish this month’s basket with an anecdote that resonated with me. I grew up in the age of the Autograph book – a small booklet with coloured pages where friends and family could write sweet notes, silly poems and short messages. It was a gift from my mother whose contribution stayed with me all my life. It was a quote from Etienne de Grellet, far above my command of English at that stage or my ability to put it into practice. Yet, I learnt if off by heart and over the years it many times helped me make a decision, guiding and reminding me that this opportunity may not come again.
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Thus, when I came across the following illustration in a book, I could somewhat identify and agree, although I, by no means claim to implement it the way this gentleman did. I fail all too frequently, choosing self above service, career above kindness and efficiency above affection.
A university professor tells of being invited to speak at a military base one December and there meeting an unforgettable soldier named Ralph. Ralph had been sent to meet him at the airport. After they had introduced themselves, they headed toward the baggage claim.
As they walked down the concourse, Ralph kept disappearing. Once to help an older woman whose suitcase had fallen open. Once to lift two toddlers up to where they could see Santa Claus, again to give directions to someone who was lost. Each time he came back with a smile on his face.
“Where did you learn that?” the professor asked.
“What?” Ralph said.
“where did you learn to live like that?”
“Oh,” Ralph said, “during the war, I guess.” He then told the professor about his tour of duty in Vietnam, how it was his job to clear minefields, how he watched his friends blow up before his eyes, one after another.
“I learned to live between steps,” he said. “I never knew whether the next one would be my last, so I learned to get everything I could out of the moment between when I picked up my foot and when I put it down again. Every step I took was a whole new world, and I guess I’ve been that way ever since.” [2]
Friends and followers, may the abundance of our lives truly be marked not by how long we live, but by how well we live!
[1] https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/tell-a-story-day/
[2] 1001 Quotes, Illustrations & Humorous Stories for preachers, teachers & writers, from Edward K. Rowell & Leadership Journal, pg 195
