[Oe List ...] Fwd: Why Bother?
RICHARD HOWIE via OE
oe at lists.wedgeblade.net
Thu Feb 23 04:20:36 PST 2017
Dear all,
THANKS for this, and for the on-going hope of 5th City Pre-school.
Peace,
Ellen Howie
On Feb 22, 2017, at 11:28 PM, Mary Kurian DSouza via OE wrote:
> Thank you Doris
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 20-Feb-2017, at 7:28 AM, Joy Bonafield via OE
> <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>
>> Doris -- I loved this, and it brings me back to the great Loren
>> Eisely. Thanks for sharing it! I shared it with a group in my
>> UCC congregation.
>>
>> Joyce Bonafield-Pierce
>> bonafieldcohort26 at gmail.com
>>
>> On Sun, Feb 19, 2017 at 12:47 PM, Doris Hahn via OE
>> <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
>>
>> Dear colleagues,
>> Here is an interesting email from Pat Moriarty. I thought you
>> would appreciate reading it too.
>> Peace,
>> Doris Hahn
>>
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>>> From: Just a Thought <pat at justathoughtbypat.com>
>>> Date: February 19, 2017 at 6:00:54 AM CST
>>> To: Patrick <pmoriarty at collegiateservices.org>
>>> Subject: Why Bother?
>>> Reply-To: Just a Thought <pat at justathoughtbypat.com>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Why Bother?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Some time ago, I attended the funeral of Verdell Trice. Verdell
>>> was nicknamed the “Mayor of the West Side” because for more than
>>> 50 years he worked to make this desperately poor community in
>>> Chicago a better place to live.
>>>
>>> During the 1970’s I had the honor of working with Verdell on
>>> economic and social development programs aimed at improving the
>>> living conditions on the West Side. I was just one of hundreds of
>>> people that joined with West Side residents in working toward a
>>> better future. It was challenging work, and it was easy to feel
>>> discouraged at times. Verdell was always positive, though. He had
>>> the calm, wise spirit forged from a life of persevering in the
>>> midst of hardship. He lived 93 years, and I daresay not one of
>>> those days was lived without the belief that better days were ahead.
>>>
>>> After the funeral I took a drive through the West Side community
>>> in which so many of us labored. I hadn’t been there for some time
>>> and didn’t know what to expect. What I saw was so many vacant
>>> lots, abandoned and boarded up buildings, all things common to an
>>> urban ghetto. This community in which 50 years ago I and so many
>>> others toiled had become a virtual urban desert.
>>>
>>> Or was it?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> There, standing in the midst of all this urban decay was a sign
>>> that told an entirely different story, a story in which Verdell
>>> and so many others had played a critical role. The story of the
>>> 50-year history of the 5th City Preschool, an oasis of learning
>>> in the midst of this urban desert. Just as Verdell Trice had
>>> stood through the onslaught of unrelenting hard times on the West
>>> Side, so had the Fifth City Preschool. This little place of
>>> learning has nurtured generation after generation of young people
>>> in a bold, bright, positive, and caring environment.
>>>
>>> As I left for my home on the North Side of Chicago I was feeling
>>> blessed by my time on the West Side,
>>>
>>> Blessed for having known Verdell Tice
>>> Blessed for having worked with the 5th City Preschool
>>> Blessed for having lived in this wonderful community
>>> It was an answer to an ongoing, bedeviling question. In the midst
>>> of hopelessness, where some things seem to never get better,
>>> where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the rest get
>>> drunk – WHY BOTHER?
>>>
>>> My visit to the West Side called to mind this story:
>>>
>>> Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the
>>> ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach
>>> before he began his work.
>>>
>>> One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the
>>> beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to
>>> himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and
>>> so, he walked faster to catch up.
>>>
>>> As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young
>>> man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young
>>> man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and
>>> throwing them into the ocean.
>>>
>>> He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what
>>> it is that you are doing?”
>>>
>>> The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish
>>> into the ocean.”
>>>
>>> “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
>>> asked the somewhat startled wise man.
>>>
>>> To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is
>>> going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
>>>
>>> Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do
>>> you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there
>>> are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a
>>> difference!”
>>>
>>> At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish,
>>> and threw it into the ocean.
>>>
>>> As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”
>>>
>>> — Loren Eiseley
>>>
>>> WHY BOTHER?
>>>
>>> Aren’t we nothing more than lucky starfish?
>>>
>>> Just a Thought…
>>>
>>> Pat
>>>
>>> If you would like to submit a post to Just A Thought, please
>>> contact Marsha at mhahn013 at sbcglobal.net.
>>>
>>> Copyright © 2017 Patrick J. Moriarty. All Rights Reserved.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Read in browser »
>>> Forward
>>> Share
>>> Copyright © 2017 Just A Thought By Pat, All rights reserved.
>>> You are receiving this email because you are a member of 'Just A
>>> Thought By Pat' distribution list.
>>>
>>> Our mailing address is:
>>> Just A Thought By Pat
>>> 6607 N Newgard Ave
>>> Chicago, IL 60626
>>>
>>> Add us to your address book
>>>
>>>
>>> unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This email was sent to pmoriarty at collegiateservices.org
>>> why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update
>>> subscription preferences
>>> Just A Thought By Pat · 6607 N Newgard Ave · Chicago, IL 60626 · USA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> OE mailing list
>> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
>> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> OE mailing list
>> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
>> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at lists.wedgeblade.net
> http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe-wedgeblade.net/attachments/20170223/cfe6d4f5/attachment.html>
More information about the OE
mailing list