Jolie Rouge
09-02-2003, 10:54 AM
"It's amazing to me," one woman said, "how so many people all around the world have the same problems, no matter where they are from. It's like we're one big family!"
I wonder, if we are family, is there a family resemblance? Is it simply that we are human, or are there some identifying characteristics that mark us as belonging to each other?
An unusual thing happened to me a few years ago. I spoke casually with a woman who served tables at a restaurant I frequented. We knew each other by first name only, but usually spoke to for a few minutes each time I dined there.
One day, she asked me, "Do you have a son about eight years old?"
"What has he done?" I thought. I nodded.
She pressed on, "Does he play soccer?"
When I said that he did, she asked if he played in a game the previous week at a particular field. Again, I answered, "Yes."
"I thought so," she smiled. "I saw him and thought he must be your son."
Since there were tens of thousands of young boys in the city, I was amazed! "I didn't know he looked that much like me!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, I didn't see his face," she said smiling as if she were keeping a secret.
"Then how did you know he was my son?" Now I was puzzled.
"I was just sitting in the car," she continued, "and I saw a little boy in a baseball cap walking across the field. He walks like you!"
When I told my son what she said he spent the next three weeks practicing a different walk! But it didn't work…it must be something that runs in the family.
In a greater sense, maybe the way we walk in this life is the identifying mark of the family. Some people walk in gentleness. Others walk in anger. Some walk in love, others in fear. Some walk in joy and some in peace, some in kindness and some in tolerance. Many walk in hope and in faith.
If we are family, then we are connected by common needs and hopes. These cannot be seen. But we will always be recognized by the way we walk!
___________
This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book : PRESCRIPTION FOR PEACE 60-second readings to help you build a better life.
P.S. "Laughter is inner jogging. -- Norman Cousins
I wonder, if we are family, is there a family resemblance? Is it simply that we are human, or are there some identifying characteristics that mark us as belonging to each other?
An unusual thing happened to me a few years ago. I spoke casually with a woman who served tables at a restaurant I frequented. We knew each other by first name only, but usually spoke to for a few minutes each time I dined there.
One day, she asked me, "Do you have a son about eight years old?"
"What has he done?" I thought. I nodded.
She pressed on, "Does he play soccer?"
When I said that he did, she asked if he played in a game the previous week at a particular field. Again, I answered, "Yes."
"I thought so," she smiled. "I saw him and thought he must be your son."
Since there were tens of thousands of young boys in the city, I was amazed! "I didn't know he looked that much like me!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, I didn't see his face," she said smiling as if she were keeping a secret.
"Then how did you know he was my son?" Now I was puzzled.
"I was just sitting in the car," she continued, "and I saw a little boy in a baseball cap walking across the field. He walks like you!"
When I told my son what she said he spent the next three weeks practicing a different walk! But it didn't work…it must be something that runs in the family.
In a greater sense, maybe the way we walk in this life is the identifying mark of the family. Some people walk in gentleness. Others walk in anger. Some walk in love, others in fear. Some walk in joy and some in peace, some in kindness and some in tolerance. Many walk in hope and in faith.
If we are family, then we are connected by common needs and hopes. These cannot be seen. But we will always be recognized by the way we walk!
___________
This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book : PRESCRIPTION FOR PEACE 60-second readings to help you build a better life.
P.S. "Laughter is inner jogging. -- Norman Cousins