Philwhite
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Joined: 2/14/2013
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She trudged through the desert, along the banks of a broad river that had carved a channel through the sand and rocks as it swept to the sea. On the other side of the river fertile grasslands rolled upwards towards lush, forest covered hills. Scorched by the cruel sun and stung by the sand in the wind she joined the crowd sitting by the river bank, praying that they would find a way to reach the forest.
After a while the river spoke to her … “Jump!”
She cried, “But I cannot swim; I will be smashed on your rocks and rapids.”
“There will be pain, but if you want to reach a place of joy and plenty, jump, and I will carry you to the other side”, replied the current as it rode over the rocky rapids.
She hesitated. Everything she craved lay on the other side of the river, but fear pinned her to the bank.
Then the wind said, “Fly”.
“But I have no wings, and will surely crash to the ground”, she cried.
“Perhaps”, said the wind. “Learning to fly can be difficult, but if you want passion and freedom, keep trying and when you are ready I will lift you to the far bank”.
She stayed, surviving on whatever scraps the desert discarded. Soon she no longer heard the wind or the water. Many years later, as she sat longing for the forest across the river, three women appeared on the other side. They were her sisters; older but still beautiful.
The old woman shouted, “Sisters, how did you get to the other side?”
The first answered, “I jumped. At first I was dashed against the rocks; was bruised and bleeding, but the current lifted me, healed me and carried me to this side.
The second stretched out her arms and said, “I flew. At first I was tossed about as if I were trapped in a tornado, but then I lifted my head and stretched out my arms, and I flew”.
The third said, “I had not the courage to jump or fly, but rather than give up hope I kept walking along the river ‘till I came to a wise man who said he was waiting for me to find the courage to trust completely. I fell into his arms, and he carried me through the torrent to this side.
The old woman wept. She knew the ways … she had always known … but was now convinced that she was too old and weak to jump, to fly, or to walk a great distance. Turning back to the desert, she saw the millions of others who, like her, had allowed fear to steal their dreams. She began to trudge towards them.
“No! No!” cried the river … “Jump!”
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