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Someone asked me once what it is like to hold the heart of a child in my hand.
“It must be so tiny,” he said. “How can you see to put the stitches in?”
I thought for a moment.
“It is tiny,” I agreed. “It is the size of a hummingbird.”
“And sometimes that is what I think of when I listen to some little hearts. The frantic beating, the flutter of a heart desperate to fly freely inside a child’s chest.
“I think, ‘There is a hummingbird in this child’s chest. A ruby-throated hummingbird, desperate to live, desperate for the nectar of life.’
“And I imagine that I must approach it carefully, and hold it gently, but firmly.
“When I hold it I can feel the warmth through my gloved hand.
“I could think about how I hold the future of the child’s life in that hand. I could think about how I hold the laughter, the joy, the tears, the future of that child in my hand.
“But it would overwhelm me to think about all that they could be and I could not do my job. So I ask my assistant to think about those things for me.”
“Who is your assistant?” he asked.
“Why you of course!” I smiled.
“Me?”
“Yes, let me show you. Empty your pockets into your hand.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
I watched as he did as I asked. Then I began to remove the items one by one.
I took away his keys. I took away a pack of gum, a breath mint, some loose change. I took away a parking stub and a small charm until the only thing left in his hand was his wallet.
Then I closed his fingers over it gently until he was holding it securely.
“You are my assistant. In your hand you hold the life, the laughter, the love, the future of a child. Her heart is only a little smaller than your wallet.
“I have taken away all the things in your hand that are your life – the keys to your car, the entertainment of an evening, the sweetness of candies. All that is left is what matters – a donation.
“You are the one who truly holds her heart in your hand. You are the one who can afford to think about what her life could be like. Will you do that?”
He looked at me with tears in his eyes and asked, “And then what will you think about?”
“I will think about hummingbirds. I will think about how to slow the tiny flutters and how to stitch the holes. And I will think about what I can do to save her life.
“I can… because you hold the most important part in your hand.
You hold the possibility of life.”
Make a difference. Heal a child’s heart. Click here to see how.
(With deep gratitude to Becky Blanton – for putting into words the feelings that were trapped in my heart!)
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