lighting the way for others

by Art 2013

A father watched his little girl run through the back yard, chasing fireflies. Running and jumping trying to catch one. Pamela laughed as she run toward another firefly that had just lit up then as soon as she got to them they disappeared. Finally in her persistence she jumped up and grabbed at the night sky and as she landed, there in her hands was a tiny firefly.

“Daddy, I caught one.” Pamela ran back to where her father sat and opened her hand. There in her tiny palm was a firefly. “Can I keep it?” She asked with excitement.

“Sure, go get a jar,” Her father said. Pamela ran into the house while her father held the little insect in his hand. His daughter ran back with a little glass jar in hand. They placed the firefly in the jar and twisted the lid on. Her father took his pocket knife out and cut little holes in the top, allowing air to seep into the jar.

“I’m going to catch another one.” Pamela blurted as took off toward the back yard and began her pursuit of more fire flies. It wasn’t long till she came back with another, then another. It wasn’t long and she had half a dozen fireflies. Pamela then took the jar of fireflies and held it in front of her as she walked around the back yard using it for a light so that she could see.

Eventually she came back to where her father sat and she held the jar up high to see the lightning bugs a tad better. “These little bugs will help me see better..” Pamela said.

“That’s right,” her father said. “Just remember this, just by being themself, some one or something can light the way for others.”

moral: just by beeing ourselves we light the way for others

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

have a quality day

(~_~)

Fireflies and inch worms

There were two fireflies buzzing around the woods one night. One claimed it was enlightenend because of its ability to shine in the darkness. The other was a clown/comedian, always laughing and playing, saying, “My butts on fire,” or “Lightening struck my back side.”

The two fireflies happened upon a cabin in the woods and lighted upon the front porch where an old man sat watching the clouds embrace the moon. The zen master watched as the two fireflies danced around, “Ah, two fireflies, nearly the same,” the master said. ” Except one is brighter than the other.” (But which?)

by Art~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out in the state of California there is a great valley known as the Yosemite Valley, and here once lived a tribe of Indians who tried to explain how the wonderful streams and trees and rocks came to be.

The story of one of the highest peaks, El Capitan, is very interesting. One day some Indian boys went fishing in a beautiful lake in the Yosemite, and after they had grown tired they lay down in the sun upon a rock beside the lake. They soon fell fast asleep. How long they slept they did not know, but when they awoke they found that during their sleep the rock on which they lay had been stood on end, so that they were now nearly a mile high in the air and had no means of getting down. They were in a bad plight.

But the animals in the valley which were friendly to mountaineers saw their misfortune and held a conference as to how to help the boys get down. They decided that the only thing to do was to try to climb up the face of the cliff. But the rock, was too steep, and so they tried to jump up. First the raccoon tried it, then the bear, then the squirrel, then the fox, and finally the mountain-goat. It was all to no avail, however, and they gave up in discouragement, and were about to leave the boys to perish, when the inch-worm came along and offered her services. The animals laughed her to scorn. What could she do, with her snail-pace, when they all, who were so fleet of foot, had to give it up!

But she would not be laughed out of her purpose, and she began to climb up the cliff. Slowly, inch by inch, she crawled up, so slowly that it seemed as if she would take a thousand years to get there. But as she passed crag after crag the animals below ceased making fun of her and began to shout encouragement. At last she reached the top. And then the Great Spirit turned her into a huge butterfly so strong that she flew down, with the boys on her back, to safety.

There is a verse in the Old Testament which says that the race is not always to the swift, which means that it is not always the strongest who win. It is the one who keeps at it. Many a bright boy fails in school because the lessons come so easily he does not work. Many a dull boy wins because he sticks to it and plods away.

If you are tempted to trust too much to your brightness, remember the animals who made fun of the inch-worm. If you are dull, remember the inch-worm, take courage, and plod away. You will get there sometime.

 

Howard J. Chidley’s short story: Inch-Worm And The Mountain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

live life inch by inch and moment by moment

(~_~)