Momma Nan's Warriors
Love and you shall be loved.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"We've been reading your Who I Am Makes A Difference story in Chicken Soup for the Soul at our various trainings," Keith said. "Brad, one of our trainers, passed your story on to some people from his home town of Fresno. Now he tells me everywhere he goes in his town, people are acknowledging one another with your Blue Ribbons. He told me a very powerful story that I thought would be important to pass on to you.
"Brad went to acknowledge his Pastor and his wife, affectionately known as Momma Nan. Momma Nan was very ill at the time Brad presented her with her first Blue Ribbon. The acknowledgement touched her so deeply that she requested, when her time came, that everyone at her funeral receive a Blue Ribbon. Shortly thereafter, Momma Nan passed on. As she was laid to rest, everyone turned to a person next to them and placed a Blue Ribbon just above Momma Nan's Warriors their heart."
Keith continued, "We were all so moved by this very special acknowledgement, that we'd like you, as the originator, to be the keynote speaker at our awards banquet in a few months. I'll set up a luncheon meeting prior to the banquet, so that you can meet PastorT, who is anxious to tell you his story."
I was moved by what I had heard and immediately agreed to fly to Fresno. When I arrived, the first thing I saw was a man with a sign that said, "Welcome to Fresno, Helice Bridges. Who You Are Makes a Difference!" I was touched by the extra ordinary acknowledgement. He walked over to me and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Brad and I've been pinning your Blue Ribbons on people all over Fresno."
After a short ride, Brad and I entered an elegant restaurant, where Pastor T, Steve and Bubba enthusiastically greeted me. Pastor T had brought a large portrait of his wife, Nan, which was proudly displayed at our table. He began, "I wanted everyone here to meet you today. There was quite a story behind how Momma Nan declared her wish for a Blue Ribbon Ceremony at her funeral. Brad, why don't you begin telling Helice what happened."
"It was at our corporate training session in Stockton when I first heard your story and received my Blue Ribbon," Brad said. "The experience was so powerful that I decided to include the story and ceremony in all our Fresno training sessions." Steve piped in, "When I heard Brad tell your story, I immediately knew that I had to give a Blue Ribbon to my wife. You see, I've been working 16 to 18 hours a day. I get home very late and don't have much time to spend with her. She's diabetic and has been getting worse. By the time I get home, I'm wiped out and don't have the patience to give her the attention she deserves. That's all changed now.
"After Brad's training session, I came home, sat beside my wife and acknowledged her with the Blue Ribbon. I told her how very much I loved and cared for her. I said that I realize how difficult it must be when I'm not around to help. We spoke for a very long time and talked about how to cherish the time we do have together. I've even been coming home from work earlier for the past month. To tell you the truth, that Blue Ribbon Ceremony saved our marriage.
"But I didn't stop there. I decided it was time for me to also mend the relationship with my father. Actually, we hadn't spoken in over five years. I called him, and to my surprise, he accepted my invitation to have breakfast together. For days, I rehearsed what I would say to him and how I would present the Blue Ribbon. I imagined the good that could come out of it. Boy, was I ever nervous.
"As soon as we ordered breakfast, I took out a Blue Ribbon and just went for it. I thought it would be difficult, but was surprised at how words of appreciation sprang from my lips. He listened intently as I told him how sorry I was for giving him a hard time. The more I spoke, the more his eyes welled up with tears. My father never cried. Finally, I placed the Blue Ribbon above his heart. By then we were both sobbing. My father actually reached out and gave me a giant hug!
"Your Who I Am Makes A Difference story really hit a cord inside of me. The father in that story reminded me of myself. He only focused on what his son was doing wrong. I realized that I was doing the same thing to both my wife and Dad. When I read the story, it really opened up my eyes. Now every day, life is different at work and at home. I now acknowledge people openly and sincerely. I'm always so amazed at what a difference it makes. I'm truly a changed person!
"And I was on such a great roll, that I couldn't wait to acknowledge my friend Bubba." I turned away from Steve for a moment to look at Bubba. He was a 350-pound man with a kind and gentle face.
Steve continued, "I decided to acknowledge my friend Bubba and give him a Blue Ribbon." Bubba immediately jumped in. "That's when everything started to change for me. First of all, I used to rattle when I walked because of all the guns I carried on me. Just a few years back, I flew drugs into Florida from South America. Ever since I've moved here, Pastor T has been determined to show me another way. For the past two years, he's been praying me into his church. I couldn't figure out why he wanted to put so much attention on a loser like me. Believe it or not, I've been more afraid of Pastor T's love than of getting shot!
"Pastor T had his own arsenal of warriors and my friend, Steve, was part of his tribe. The day Steve acknowledged me and told me how much I made a difference, I couldn't believe my ears. I couldn't believe that I had ever made a difference to anybody, ever in my life. I was only into surviving. But Steve and Pastor T were so sincere; I felt I really did make a difference.
"Knowing what an impact that little Blue Ribbon had on me, I thought that, just maybe, it could help the guys that were in the gangs. They did what they did just to feel important. These kids kill one another every day over nothing more than a Twinkie. They absolutely don't feel that they make a difference at all.
"I decided to gather up these throw-away kids and direct them into Pastor T's church. There ain't none of them tough enough to mess with me. When they came, I read your story to them. Then I passed out Blue Ribbons to every kid and gave them a chance to acknowledge one another. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. In fact, a week later, kids, from different gangs, actually sat down and had dinner together. You can't imagine how miraculous a sight that was.
"These are hard nosed kids who don't appear to have any feelings. And yet, today, only two months after we first met at the church, 37 of the 42 kids that were at that church meeting are either back in school or have full time jobs."
Pastor T added, "These are the same kids who started to visit Momma Nan during her last days. They all insisted that they wanted to come to her bedside and pray for her because she had always made such a difference in their lives. There wasn't much room in our bedroom, but it didn't matter to those kids. Each day they would pile in, get down on their knees and pray. They did that right up until the day she passed on. It was because of what these kids did that Momma Nan requested your Blue Ribbons at her funeral.
"I have always known that the miracle of love could touch anyone or anything," Pastor T continued. "We now have living proof. The simple act of unconditional love reaches deep into the soul, healing the unseen wounds of even the greatest warriors." pg 93 https://makeadifference.com/Who_I_Am |
