Motivation Monday for January 28, 2013 ~ Become Re-Generated After Tragedy

Jan. 27, 2013 - PRLog -- Hurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook Elementary and even the 200+ families in Brazil that have lost young adults, children, their babies in a horrible fire.  Is there anything that prepares you as a parent to lose your child?   Frankly, I don’t know.  I can only imagine time.

So, with that, today’s Motivation Monday© is a tale about the Island of Emotions.  I do not know the original author of this story, but originally had someone share it with me many years ago.

Once upon a time, there was an island where all of the emotions lived.  

One day, the news came of a great storm that would flood the little island.  Many of the emotions ran around and asked the island’s elders what to do and they quickly began to prepare to leave the island. All except LOVE.  

LOVE couldn’t understand how everyone was leaving their home.  LOVE stated that it was staying on the island and would not leave.

As the storm arrived and the tides began to rise, LOVE realized that it may not survive.  So LOVE called out to WEALTH and said please take me with you to which WEALTH said, “no, there is no room in my boat for anything but my money and gold.”

As the water was rising, LOVE called out to HAPPINESS, but HAPPINESS did not hear the call for help, because it was having too much fun.

The water was now getting very high, around LOVE’S neck and LOVE yelled out to VANITY to “save me!” but VANITY was only concerned that LOVE would make a mess of its boat and sailed on.

As LOVE began to lose hope and the water was coming over its head, a hand reached in and pulled LOVE from the water.  LOVE was wrapped and stayed in a dark place until the rain and storm ended.  When LOVE began to unwrap itself the boat landed on dry land.  Before LOVE could acknowledge or say thank you to whomever had saved it, they had walked away.

LOVE spent the next day trying to find who had saved it and couldn’t find the answer.  So LOVE went to the elders of KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM and asked, “who saved me?  After everyone else left me behind and lost faith, after WEALTH, HAPPINESS and VANITY left me to die, who would have saved me?”

KNOWLEDGED and WISDOM answered, “TIME.”  The elder TIME saved you.  LOVE was dumbfounded and asked, “Why?”  After all of the other emotions seemed to have abandoned me, why would TIME save me.

To that KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM answered, “because only TIME knows the true value of LOVE.”

For all those that are suffering or have suffered.  They say that “time heals all wounds.”  Some wounds, especially some in our most recent history, seem so horrible and difficult to understand and the wounds so deep, but rest assured, if you can get up every day and try to live your life to the best of your ability TIME will not only heal your wounds, but honor the LOVE that you have for those lost and those things that you held so dear.

If you think of the tragedies of 9-11; Katrina; Sandy; Sandy Hook and so many other tragedies, there is one other truth that made me establish National Motivation & Inspiration Day.  After every tragedy, people, our fellow Americans, come to the rescue.  In the lack of tragedy, we as Americans can sometimes treat each other poorly and are self absorbed, but, in the wake of almost every tragedy that takes place, people become unified and united in a common cause and purpose.

As we pass this TIME of tragedy and difficulty in America, I ask those of you that read this to think.  Why does it take disaster and tragedy for us to be united in purpose and care about our fellow man?  As so many respond to help those that have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy and Sandy Hook, let us try to keep a part of that goodness and willingness to extend a hand to others every day, even if it’s just a smile and a hello.