TWO HORSES

Pic.: Nishant Joshi

When I look around me, I find two kinds of people: those who have come on this earth to help me, guide me, teach me, empower me, inspire me… and, those who have come here to be helped, guided, taught, empowered and inspired by me…

I really feel, that, it is something so beautiful about living in this world!

Yes, to be thirsty and humble enough to look up to someone…

And, to be mighty and kind enough to reach out to someone…

When I look at one side, I can see so many people who look up to me… I know, as a teacher of my students or writer of my readers, as a father of my son or brother of my brothers or as a husband of my wife, God has sent me here to touch their lives… Make a difference in them…

And, when I look at the other side, I can see so many people whom I look up to… I know, as a student, son, brother, husband, patient, client, citizen, church or society member, God has sent so many of those wonderful souls, here, to touch my life… Make a difference in me…

Just today – even when the Sun still stands in the sky – I can count so many amazing people, near and far, whose help I have sought… whose touch I have felt… yes, already… even before the Sun has set…

Likewise, I know – and I really feel strong and blessed when I think about it – that, even before the Sun has gone home, today, I have, already, reached out to so many of others…

Yes, that’s something so beautiful about living in this vast barn of God, called ‘World’…

I have a wonderful fable, from an unknown author, to share…

         TWO HORSES

Just up the road from my home is a field,

with two horses in it.

From a distance,

each horse looks like any other horse.
But if you get a closer look,

you will notice something quite interesting...

One of the horses is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down,

but has made him a safe and comfortable barn to live in.

This alone is pretty amazing!

But if you stand nearby and listen,

you will hear the sound of a bell.

It is coming from a smaller horse in the field.
Attached to the horse's halter

is a small, copper-colored bell.

It lets the blind friend know

where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends,

you'll see that the horse with the bell

is always checking on the blind horse,

and that the blind horse will listen for the bell

and then slowly walk to where the other horse is,

trusting he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns

to the shelter of the barn each evening,

he will stop occasionally to look back,

making sure that the blind friend

isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses,

God does not throw us away

just because we are not perfect.

Or because we have problems or challenges.
He watches over us

and even brings others into our lives

to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes, we are the blind horse,

being guided by the little ringing bell

of those who God places in our lives.
And, at other times, we are the guide horse,

helping others to find their way.

The Sun is still there… Let’s look up to the sky and say “Thank-you, Lord”!

GERALD D’CUNHA