A LITTLE THING
(No
date)
He is a pro water skier. His sponsor has sent him all over the world
for tournaments. He has endured many
successes and some heartbreaking disappointments in his competitions. But he knows this comes with the choice he
has made in his life. He is my grandson
Billy.
This time, he and his mother traveled
to a tournament about three hours from his home. The areas by the lakes are always filled with
parents, friends and many fans. Also, a
food stand, plus kiosk to purchase promotional t-shirts and other small items
related to water-skiing.
He waited in the water behind the
boat, stretches his trademark white headband over his hair and waits for his
signal. He has a good start but falls
early in the run and therefore doesn't qualify for a last pass. When this happens, his mother has learned to quietly
wait in the car for him and not say anything.
There is nothing that will soothe him; he just has to suffer through the
disappointed feeling and move on.
Usually, after an hour, the mod gently lifts, and he slowly berated
himself. He forgets the times he has
been so successful.
But now his head is up and he hops
into the car beside her with a slight smile on his face. She waits for him to speak. He talks a little about the tournament. He hesitates a minute then says, "I was
getting out of the water and feeling so embarrassed and disappointed at how
badly I did, and this little boy was waiting for me with a pen in his
hand. He asked me for my autograph and
headband. When I signed his paper and
gave him my headband, he was so happy. I
thought, why should I complain. I am
doing what I love. How can I be so selfish?
" Another minute passed and he
quietly said, "I wish I had been nicer to him."
That boy will never know how much he
did for Billy that day. Tremendous
consequences come from little things - a chance word, a tap on the shoulder or
a smile prove "there are no little things."
Gymbeaux
Note: It was from this one essay that I
had the impulse to name this blog, "No Little Things".
Joanne
Murray is my cousin. She sent me a book her son made for her 75th
Birthday. It contained essays that Joanne had written. In the
interest of bias, I am definitely biased so let's get that out of the way.
But once you and I get passed my bias you come to realize as I have that these
essays are something very special especially to her family and THAT IS THE
POINT. As I read them the one of many thoughts that crept into my mind
was "why haven't I been doing this?" Why indeed! These
are thoughts of a daughter, a granddaughter, a mother, a wife, a cousin (like
in my case), an aunt etc. Most who will read these essays have that in
common with Joanne. There are people you know who might enjoy knowing
what you think and what experiences you have been exposed to. Wouldn't it
be nice if you let them know by writing them down as my cousin Joanne has
done. It's never too late to get started. I will be posting them
here about one a week and do so with Joanne's permission. Hope you keep
coming back. Leave your comments below. Jim
"Gymbeaux" Brown
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