One day a young girl and her father embarked on a
journey. “Where are we going?” she asked. “Somewhere very special,” he replied,
“Just wait and see.” She smiled and slipped her hand in his as they walked
across a green meadow.
Soon they came to a forest. “Is this it?” she asked.
“We’re just passing through here,” he answered, “but enjoy the nice view.” The
little girl ran from tree to tree, pointing out each new and exciting thing
that she saw.
As they neared the edge of the forest the father sat down
and took out some lunch. Before she could ask, he said, “This isn’t it, we’re
just stopping to eat.” “Let’s keep going!” she cried, “I’m not hungry yet!” Her
father smiled, “I’m glad you’re excited, but the next part of our journey is
very difficult. I want you to rest a bit first.” The little girl sat down
reluctantly and through the whole meal tried to guess where they would go next.
Her father replied, “Just be patient.”
Once finished, they walked out of the forest and found
themselves at the foot of a large mountain. The girl’s eyes widened, “But I’m
afraid of high places…” “It’s ok,” her father replied, “Just hold my hand.”
Part way up the mountain they came to a narrow ridge. The
father stopped and turned to his daughter, “Now dear, this is the most
dangerous part of our journey, but once we cross this ridge we will be to our
destination.” The girl looked from her father to the ridge, “But it’s not wide
enough! How can I hold your hand? Isn’t there another way?” Her father smiled
with compassion, “No dear, this is the only way, but we can do it together. I
want you to walk right behind me and hold on tight to my belt loops. Don’t let
go. Just follow my steps.”
They walked to the ridge and the girl laced her little
fingers through her father’s belt loops as instructed. They stepped out onto
the ridge and took a few steps. “I can’t see where to step!” cried the little
girl. Her father replied, “You don’t need to watch the ground. We’ll go slowly,
just move each foot with mine.”
They went a little further. The girl became more
confident and looked over the side of the ridge. She imagined herself tipping
over the edge and gasped, “It’s so far down!” She tottered slightly. “It
doesn’t matter how far it is,” replied her father, “because we’re not going to
fall.” The girl tightened her grip on her father’s belt loops. He nodded,
“Good. Just keep your eyes on me.”
After this they went on quite nicely for quite some time.
The girl became bored. “Where are we going?” she asked, “Will we be there
soon?” “Soon enough,” her father replied. She grew irritated, “Why can’t I
know? I can’t see anything back here! Can we trade places for a bit? You could
hold my belt loops!” Her father
paused, “Dear, it doesn’t work that way. I know you want to see, but I want to
keep you safe. Please, just trust me.” She began to protest, but he stopped
her, “Instead of worrying about where we’re going, try to enjoy where we are.”
The girl fumed for a while in silence, angry with her
father for taking her on this dangerous ridge, angry that he wouldn’t tell her
where they were going or even let her see the way. She trudged along in
unspoken rebellion, glaring into her father’s back. She thought of his words, “Enjoy where we are,” What’s to enjoy? She stamped her little feet.
Eventually, stamping made her tired. A breeze came and
cooled her hot cheeks and combed through her hair. It carried a scent of
mountain flowers and pines. She frowned, trying to hold on to her frustration.
It occurred to the girl that she could hear birds singing not far away. She
felt her anger slowly melting. As she quieted herself, she even enjoyed the
sound of their footsteps falling. She listened carefully and matched the rhythm
of her steps with her father’s. Before long she was humming a tune in time with
their steps and swaying slightly with their slow steady gait.
Suddenly her father stopped. “We’re here,” he called over
his shoulder. The girl felt strangely disappointed and, looking down, realized
for the first time that they were no longer on the ridge. She asked timidly,
“Already?” Her father laughed and stepped to one side as she released her grip
on his belt loops. “Just look,” he said. The little girl gasped in amazement
and started to rush forward. Then, remembering their time on the ridge, she
grasped her father’s hand, “Can we go together?” Her father smiled, “My
thoughts exactly.”
