STOP
The father looks over at his daughter, who is hard at work. He asks her what she is doing, while already knowing the answer. She says, "I'm doing something for you, Dad." She grins. He smiles back, but with a twinge of sadness in the creases of his smiling eyes. He gently places his hands on top of hers, stilling her movements with a firmness that belied his quiet ways.
She always wondered how he could do that. How can anyone be as gentle as a snowflake and as unyielding as a mountain of stone? He was both a fuzzy, cuddly teddy bear and a fierce, powerful, towering grizzly simultaneously. In his presence, she felt both tenderly loved and fearfully small. He held her hands and turned her to face him. He asked quietly, "Did I ask you to do that?"
She looked at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"
He smiled and said, "Did you decide to do that, or did I ask you to do that?"
Now, she was thoroughly confused. "I'm not sure."
Holding her hand, he led her to a nearby bench and sat down with her. He said, "Promise me something."
She loved him dearly, and said without hesitation, "Anything."
"Promise me that you will not work for me."
She was surprised. "But who else would I work for?"
He laughed, and the anxiety she was feeling vanished. He said, "What I mean is this: don't work for me, work with me.
"I am working all around you. In your life, in the lives of people you see every day, in millions of people you don't even know. Stay close, and listen carefully. I'll put you in the right place at the right time -- if you'll let me. Don't get distracted by a project you want to do for me. It's wasted work. I've got plenty for you to do already."
What he said made a lot of sense. Then she thought of her project she was working on. "But..." she began. Before she could argue, he put his finger on her lips.
"No," he said. "Don't use your common sense to argue with me. Never forget how much I value child-like belief. Just say yes. Nothing else is required."
Her objections were stilled. She loved him so much. He knew this, and he also knew that she could never out-love him. They would make quite a team, she knew. She said, "I'm ready."
He grinned from ear to ear and said, "Good. Here we go."
She always wondered how he could do that. How can anyone be as gentle as a snowflake and as unyielding as a mountain of stone? He was both a fuzzy, cuddly teddy bear and a fierce, powerful, towering grizzly simultaneously. In his presence, she felt both tenderly loved and fearfully small. He held her hands and turned her to face him. He asked quietly, "Did I ask you to do that?"
She looked at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"
He smiled and said, "Did you decide to do that, or did I ask you to do that?"
Now, she was thoroughly confused. "I'm not sure."
Holding her hand, he led her to a nearby bench and sat down with her. He said, "Promise me something."
She loved him dearly, and said without hesitation, "Anything."
"Promise me that you will not work for me."
She was surprised. "But who else would I work for?"
He laughed, and the anxiety she was feeling vanished. He said, "What I mean is this: don't work for me, work with me.
"I am working all around you. In your life, in the lives of people you see every day, in millions of people you don't even know. Stay close, and listen carefully. I'll put you in the right place at the right time -- if you'll let me. Don't get distracted by a project you want to do for me. It's wasted work. I've got plenty for you to do already."
What he said made a lot of sense. Then she thought of her project she was working on. "But..." she began. Before she could argue, he put his finger on her lips.
"No," he said. "Don't use your common sense to argue with me. Never forget how much I value child-like belief. Just say yes. Nothing else is required."
Her objections were stilled. She loved him so much. He knew this, and he also knew that she could never out-love him. They would make quite a team, she knew. She said, "I'm ready."
He grinned from ear to ear and said, "Good. Here we go."
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