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Inspirational
Stories
A
Lesson in Heart
A lesson in "heart" is my little 10-year-old daughter,
Sarah, who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and
wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring
day to tell me she had competed in "field day" -
that's where they have lots of races and other competitive
events.
Because
of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement
for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting
this get her down - but before I could get a word out, she
said, "Daddy, I won two of the races!"
I couldn't
believe it! And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage."
Ahh. I
knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start .
. . some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could
say anything, she said, "Daddy, I didn't get a head start
. . . my advantage was I had to try harder!"
That's
heart! That's my Sarah.
- Stan
Frager
Love
Is Stronger . . .
Having a goal based on love is the greatest life insurance
in the world.
If
you had asked my dad why he got up in the morning, you would
have found his answer disarmingly simple: "To make my
wife happy."
Mom
and Dad met when they were nine. Every day before school,
they met on a park bench with the homework. Mom corrected
Dad's English and he did the same with her math. Upon graduation,
their teachers said that the two of them were the best "student"
in the school. Note the singular!
They took their time building their relationship, even though
Dad always knew she was the girl for him. Their first kiss
occurred when they were 17, and their romance continued to
grow into their 80s.
Just
how much power their relationship created was brought to light
in 1964. The doctor told Dad he had cancer and estimated that
he had six months to one year left at the most.
"Sorry
to disagree with you, Doc," my father said. "But
I'll tell you how long I have. One day longer than my wife.
I love her too much to leave the planet without her."
And so
it was, to the amazement of everyone who didn't really know
this
love-matched pair, that Mom passed away at the age of 85 and
Dad followed one year later when he was 86. Near the end,
he told my brothers and me that those 17 years were the best
six months he ever spent.
To
the wonderful doctors and nurses at the Department of Veterans'
Affairs Medical Center at Long Beach, he was a walking miracle.
They kept a loving watch on him and just couldn't understand
how a body so riddled with cancer could continue to function
so well.
My
dad's explanation was simple. He informed them that he had
been a medic in World War I and saw amputated arms and legs,
and he had noticed that none of them could think. So he decided
he would tell his body how to behave. Once, as he stood up
and it was evident he felt a stabbing pain, he looked down
at his chest and shouted, "Shut up! We're having a party
here."
Two
days before he left us he said, "Boys, I'll be with your
mother very soon and someday, some place we'll all be together
again. But take your time about joining us; your mother and
I have a lot of catching up to do."
It
is said that love is stronger than prison walls. Dad proved
it was a heck of a lot stronger than tiny cancer cells.
Bob, George
and I are still here, armed with Dad's final gift.
A goal,
a love and a dream give you total control over your body and
your life.
-
John Wayne Schlatter |
Cosmos
of Happiness
