The Possibilities by Barry Hughes
The wonderful light made this little tree appear the most important tree of all. It has been planted since March, when my walking began. It appears to be doing well, growing steadily through the hot summer months. With a little luck, It will one day, long after I walk this neighborhood for the last time, take its own place among the big trees in the neighborhood.
Sometimes it is easy to see the potential and the possibilities in something or someone. A small tree, well planted, that will grow large. A talented child who will excel. A business idea that will surely make a splash because the time is right. A team loaded with talent that should have a great season. Sometimes it is an easy call, to imagine the future.
At other times, the potential does not appear quite so obvious. The bent and broken sapling. A child that learns differently. A business that is affected by circumstances beyond human control. A team of players who aren’t the fastest or the best. Sometimes what lies within can be overlooked in such as these.
Yet each is as full of potential and possibilities as anything, or anyone, else. The future held within each may be harder to imagine or more difficult to see, but that does not diminish this truth. We love the stories of those who beat the odds, overcome obstacles, break down long held perceptions. We buy the books and watch the movies. But so often we fail to see the beauty and uniqueness in those near to us. So often we fail to see the possibilities.
I am grateful that this little tree reminds me that a story is not over until the final chapter is read and that a life should never be judged on one moment, one situation or one choice. It is the sum of us - our past, our present, and our yet unknown and unseen future - that tells the story of our lives. May we remember this as we reflect on our own stories and may we offer this same grace to one and all.
Peace.
Sometimes it is easy to see the potential and the possibilities in something or someone. A small tree, well planted, that will grow large. A talented child who will excel. A business idea that will surely make a splash because the time is right. A team loaded with talent that should have a great season. Sometimes it is an easy call, to imagine the future.
At other times, the potential does not appear quite so obvious. The bent and broken sapling. A child that learns differently. A business that is affected by circumstances beyond human control. A team of players who aren’t the fastest or the best. Sometimes what lies within can be overlooked in such as these.
Yet each is as full of potential and possibilities as anything, or anyone, else. The future held within each may be harder to imagine or more difficult to see, but that does not diminish this truth. We love the stories of those who beat the odds, overcome obstacles, break down long held perceptions. We buy the books and watch the movies. But so often we fail to see the beauty and uniqueness in those near to us. So often we fail to see the possibilities.
I am grateful that this little tree reminds me that a story is not over until the final chapter is read and that a life should never be judged on one moment, one situation or one choice. It is the sum of us - our past, our present, and our yet unknown and unseen future - that tells the story of our lives. May we remember this as we reflect on our own stories and may we offer this same grace to one and all.
Peace.
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