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In Your Hands

by Dr.Mani on August 19, 2010

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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.”

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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Writing From The Soul

by Dr.Mani on June 24, 2010

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We’ve heard about ‘writing from the heart’ – but from the soul?

As a young teenager, Harold Robbins was one of my favorite authors. Everything about his writing was stark, visceral and brazen. Reading it was gut-wrenching, and often deeply disturbing.

Talent like Robbins’ is rare. And when I started writing a lot myself, it became apparent why. Writing from the heart, exploring painful or controversial themes, and doing it in a candid, open and forthright manner leaves the writer exposed.

Vulnerable.

Defenceless.

My good friend and professional writer, Becky Blanton, calls this kind of writing “getting past the gatekeeper”.

Great writing that speaks to wide audiences, and does it in an intensely personal way, requires slipping words, thoughts and feelings past that wary, watchful guard living inside your head.

That’s not easy.

Yet, it’s only that kind of writing that can hope to resonate with a reader’s emotions.

Today, by sheer accident, I stumbled onto a blog that’s crafted by a master wordsmith. And – for the first time ever in 15 years of Web surfing – I found myself engrossed in her fabulous writing… for well over an hour!

It began when I set out to help Veena get her third graders teaching aids. Through Padmaja, I came to hear about “The Alternative“ – and saw an author whose shared my niece’s name.

Curious, I explored a link back to her blog, “The Clean Slate“. One of the first posts I read was “Your Story” – and I was hooked.

Hours later, having read a bigger collection of poems, short stories, and poignantly provocative blog posts at one sitting than ever before, I wondered what lay at the root of that appeal and attraction.

Surely, other writers wield as skillful pens as Malavika. But what sets this blog apart was her seemingly effortless ability to “get past the gatekeeper”.

I’ve bookmarked the blog to return to. Learn from. And study to better my writing skills.

If you don’t have as much time as I did today, then at least make sure you read “Rites of Passage” and “Letter to Samantha“.

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