A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in a war. He called his parents from a phone. “Mum and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve a favour to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.” “Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”
“There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come and live with us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to where he was and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognised him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. Wewould rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, think of something to give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!
Every little hello, every little smile, every helping hand saves a hurting heart. Pass it on. With this, also comes the token that says that YOU are special. There’s a miracle called Friendship that dwells in the heart. You don’t know how it happens or when it gets started but,you know the special lift it always brings and you realise that Friendship is ourmost precious gift!
Brill!
ReplyDeleteAs a therapist I specialise in treating People who are long-term sufferers of multiple and most time mysterious symptoms of Mind and Body and also are on multiple drugs.
ReplyDeleteThis lovely yet tragic story identifies a point and asks a question that often crops up in my surgery experience. "Why does a person sign up to the military when we do not have conscription?"
The answer it appears to me is why I exist as a therapist. "To get away from judgemental or critical families or parents."
This leads them; as I see it to, not using their trained for observation skills in the theatre of war, to - inattention, leading to accidents and the sad demise of a worthy Human being as this story shows.
The question remains as to how many people not signed up to the military suffer the same fate or just illnesses that are mysterious to the medical profession with all of their Scientifically Proven treatment?
Peter Smith Talking Cures Southend on Sea
www.talkingcures.co.uk