A Piece About Love

I was reading through my old journal and I came across this piece I wrote a while back and the learning once again hit me with fresh perspective. So I'm publishing it again now to share to everyone. Hope you find it helpful if relevant.

March 12

in keeping distances, in silence, in waiting

in patience, in prayer, in pain

love is expressed.

---

This message jumped right out of a book a dear friend excitedly put down in front of me and it reminded me yet again of two stories…

Someone was telling me that in boy scouting, the rule on saving somebody who is drowning is simple. First course of action is NEVER TO DIVE IN. The instinct of the one drowning is to hang on to you for dear life, bringing both of you down – so in order to save, you have to find something - a floater, a log, a rope that he can hang onto so you can pull him in. If there is nothing to pull him in with, dive in and approach from behind, unknown to him. Hurt him if needed so he won’t be trashing around as you swim him back to safety.

Ray Charles is a famous blind singer/musician. It was actually when he was about 7-8 years old that he went blind. A child being a child, it was hard for his mother not to be there for him for everything, give him his every whim. One late afternoon, he came running inside their small house, confident he has committed to memory his way around the house. But he stumbled on his feet, landing painfully on the floor. He cried out repeatedly for his mom to come to him, but his mom just stood there, silently looking on. After a few moments, realizing that his mom will not come to his rescue, Ray stood up, wiping his tears away. Every tiny sound suddenly became so clear and he started moving forward. He heard a small sound on the floor and he recognized it as the sound of an insect he liked to catch when he still had sight. He smiled and knelt on the floor, groping for the insect, catching it and playfully putting in near his ear. Suddenly he smiled toward where his mom stood motionless and said, “I know you are right there momma.” His mom rushed to hug him with tears in her eyes whispering, “You make me happy.”

---

Sometimes in accepting that the best thing to do is “to let someone grab a floater, not dive in” – “to hurt, to grope around and find their way” – we help more, love more.