THROW A PEBBLE IN THE WATER...
I remember my dad patiently trying to teach me how to skip a rock across the river when I was little. It all starts with finding the perfect rock. It needs to be round, flat and smooth. Do you know how difficult that is to find? It's like searching for a needle in a haystack. I have the attention span of a two year old, so I'd usually get side tracked and choose a rock with jagged edges and not in the least bit smooth. It was the one rock no one wanted and I somehow felt sorry for it. I'd pick it up and carefully try to follow my dad's guidance on the proper way to throw it. Out of about ten rocks, I may have skipped two. But, each time I was successful, I was amazed at the effect throwing one rock could have. One insignificant rock somehow created ripples in the water that never seemed to end. My dad would look on with pride, as if I'd just conquered the world.
As the years have gone by, I've been able to look back on this precious memory and apply it to my life. Maybe, just maybe, that one, small, insignificant rock wasn't quite so insignificant after all. The rock with the jagged edges and rough exterior was actually able to make an impact larger than anyone ever thought possible. It wasn't perfect and smooth. It had been stepped on and kicked around. But, if tossed at precisely the right angle, it didn't matter. It would skip along the water and create ripple..after ripple..after ripple. I'm that person with the jagged edges and rough exterior. I've been kicked around and stepped on. There's been times I've felt insignificant and unwanted. It took going through incredibly difficult times to realize that if I pick myself up and share my journey with others, I might be able to make an impact larger than I could have ever dreamed possible.
I often speak on the idea of The Ripple Effect. I've always loved the thought that taking one step, no matter how terrifying, can change multiple lives far beyond what I can imagine. If someone hears my story, it might propel them to share theirs, and so on. We all have a story..why stay silent? Sharing it might actually help others to heal. A line in a song I once heard says this, "Throw a pebble in the water; make a wave...make a wave." I've decided that The Ripple Effect isn't quite sufficient enough for me.
I want to make waves.
As the years have gone by, I've been able to look back on this precious memory and apply it to my life. Maybe, just maybe, that one, small, insignificant rock wasn't quite so insignificant after all. The rock with the jagged edges and rough exterior was actually able to make an impact larger than anyone ever thought possible. It wasn't perfect and smooth. It had been stepped on and kicked around. But, if tossed at precisely the right angle, it didn't matter. It would skip along the water and create ripple..after ripple..after ripple. I'm that person with the jagged edges and rough exterior. I've been kicked around and stepped on. There's been times I've felt insignificant and unwanted. It took going through incredibly difficult times to realize that if I pick myself up and share my journey with others, I might be able to make an impact larger than I could have ever dreamed possible.
I often speak on the idea of The Ripple Effect. I've always loved the thought that taking one step, no matter how terrifying, can change multiple lives far beyond what I can imagine. If someone hears my story, it might propel them to share theirs, and so on. We all have a story..why stay silent? Sharing it might actually help others to heal. A line in a song I once heard says this, "Throw a pebble in the water; make a wave...make a wave." I've decided that The Ripple Effect isn't quite sufficient enough for me.
I want to make waves.