Jason a 26 year old close friend of mine was on my heart this last week,. My day was a bit crazy so I tried to ignore the voice in my head telling me to call him! Moments later I dialed the phone, Jason what's up? I could hear in his voice the presence of doom and dispair. This is one of those times when you do whatever it takes to be with your friend, so I encouraged him to meet me in my office. The following story we wrote together on that very day, Wow! and i almost let it slip by…
Hope is a bright shining light which keeps darkness at bay, Hope is the gentle cold breeze on a hot summer day…
My mentor Ron, 30 years ago was an all-star football player, dreams of the NFL, 6 ft 3 in 205 lbs of pure muscle, couldn’t be stopped. Girl friends, cool cars, fast motorcycles, popular, good looking, had everything in life going for him. Then he decided to go surfing the day before his 18th birthday, looking out into the California Ocean he saw a wave crashing in, feeling invincible, he said to himself that’s my wave! He ran, dove into the wave and hit his head on a sandbar, his neck went back into his shoulder blades and (cressh), body went limp… floating motionless out to sea he prayed “ God I'm too young to die.”…….
Hope comes when you least expect it
Ladies and gentlemen, 3 weeks ago I had everything. The most beautiful and amazing woman I have ever meet and we’re getting married on Aug 1st. A month long honeymoon in Australia planned. First year in toastmasters and I'm in the world championships. 100K a year job offer on the table at the age of 26. Paid speaking gigs in negotiation. I had two jobs. Lots of friends, I'm physically fit and of course I’m cute!… well that's what mama always told me…
Friends I had everything… 2 weeks before the wedding day, everything planned and paid for, my fiancé comes to my apt one day, looking absolutely stunning then I looked into her eyes, I could see something was wrong… “Baby, she says, I can’t go through with this…” My legs went weak and I dropped to my knees. Tears pouring down my cheeks. The world had just collapsed. My heart was sick, I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. I turned down the job offer. Told 400 people the wedding was off, and cancelled my World Championship Speech. I didn’t care about anything anymore. I lost all my hope for the future. My heart hit the sandbar of life, and I felt paralyzed floating motionless into the sea of despair…
Hope comes when you least expect it and when you most need it…
I get a call from my friend Ron he says, come on over I’d like to have a word with you. When I got to his house I fell on the floor, tears in my eyes I said, it hurts so bad I don’t know if I can make it through. He said I’ve got a story for you man… “When I was floating out into the ocean my little brother swam in and saved my paralyzed body from drowning. At that point I had lost it all. Parlayed from the neck down my hopes and dreams were shattered. Then one day I meet a young man His head and body strapped to a wheelchair.
I said to this kid, hey how you doing man, my names Ron what your name? He sat there motionless, drool coming out of his mouth, tubes in his neck, breathing through machines – cuuugh-… His mom standing behind him spoke up, his name’s Kevin. Looking into Kevin’s eyes, and I saw so much life. I said, how bad is it Kevin? His mom replied, he’s was paralyzed from the noise down at birth. Never tasted a candy bar, never drank a coke, never told his mom he loves her. Instantly my attitude changed, I said to his mom, what’s the one the he’s always wanted to do… I'm gonna make it happen. Go to Disneyland? You tell me what Kevin dreams of. She looked at me and said, the one thing Kevin wishes he could do, is smile…how much is that worth…?
Hope comes when you least expect it, and when you most need it, and often times from an unexpected source…
I sat up after the story, wiping the tears from my eyes, and said. So hope comes to us, when we reach out and give out. Ron looked at me and said, “Jason, never underestimate the power you have to change somebody's life.” I jumped up off the ground, got onto a computer and along with Ron I wrote this very speech. I called the governor of our toastmasters district, Kathy, and said, can I still speak? She said, you betcha you can!.
There’s a great hope in life, and it’s not in football, or relationships or weddings, it’s not in honeymoons, or Australia, money or a new job, fancy cars or even the American dream. Real hope is found in the heart, and it comes out, when we give it out. Even if it's just a smile. The apostle Paul, wrote these words from inside prison walls… “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Friends who’s waiting for you to bring a little hope into their life? Are you willing to give out, a little hope? Hope comes when we least expect it, and when we most need it, there's someone in your life waiting to receive it. Ladies and gentlemen, give a little hope. My hope, is that I gave you hope, and that makes me… smile
Now roll on and make it a good day, your life truly matters!
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Blessings,
Ron Heagy
