By Terry McCarthy
I’m not sure where or when I first heard this story. Perhaps it was on the radio while I was driving, maybe I read it, or someone told it to me. I do know, however, it had an effect on me then and I never forgot it. It still brings tears to my eyes when I tell it to the students in chapel. It embodies all the principles and realities we talk about and teach at The Family Foundation School.
It seems that a 9-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were staying at their grandmother’s farm for the summer. It was a lovely farm with cows and chickens and horses, and, of course, chores. The children had a favorite place, though. It was a pretty little pond with a small brook running into it. It had lily pads and cattails, frogs and snakes, and ducks. They loved to go to the pond and hunt for frogs, skip stones, or just lay in the warm sunshine on the grassy bank.
One day, while they were having a rock-skipping contest, the flock of ducks swam by. The boy thought aloud, “I wonder if I could hit one of those ducks with a rock?”
“I bet you can’t,” said his sister. With that, the boy chose the perfect rock and threw it at a duck. It was a direct hit, and the duck died instantly.
“Oh, boy,” said the sister. “You’re in trouble! Wait till Grandma finds out that you killed one of her ducks!”
“Please, don’t tell.” pleaded the boy tearfully. “I’m sorry.” He was obviously frightened and didn’t want Grandma to know.
“Well, if you’re really sorry, and don’t want Grandma to know, you’ll do the dishes for me tonight.”
“O.K.” said the remorseful youngster.
And so it went. He did the dishes that night and the following night because it was his turn.
“If you’re really sorry,” said the sister, “(and you don’t want Grandma to find out), you’ll do the dishes for me again tonight.”
The frightened remorseful boy could see no way out, so he complied.
On the following night, when it was again his turn to do the dishes, Grandma became suspicious.
“Why are you doing the dishes again?” she asked. “This is the fourth night in a row!”
The prideful dam that held the fear, guilt, and remorse burst. Through his tears and into her apron the boy sobbed, “Oh Grandma. We were down by the pond the other day, and I killed one of your ducks with a rock. I’m so sorry.”
She gently held his shoulders and pushed him arms length away. She bent down, looked him in the eye and said, “I saw you do that. I was watching from the kitchen window. And I forgave you the second you did it.”
And so it is with us. For some of us, the 12 Steps are simply a way of turning around, and staying turned, into the presence of God’s love for all of us.
"Irresponsible sex affected my life in ways I have yet to understand"
