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WHAT IS COURAGE?

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Contributed by: Bob Kuebler YWAP on 7/24/2008

This story is brought to you by YWAP - Youth With A Purpose.

WHAT IS COURAGE?

A man named the Heart Farmer was a dude who sowed seeds to help hearts grow. You can read about him in a book called "The Brick Heart." The story can be found at: http://buffalo.yourhub.com/~YWAP

In the story the farmer sows seeds that fall on rocky hearts, thorny hearts, shallow hearts and deep hearts. This story of courage is about the thorny hearts. In the movie "The Wizard of Oz" the Cowardly Lion found courage at the end of his fearful journey. But before he found his courage he stood in the Haunted Forest holding his tail crying "I do believe in spooks! I do believe in Spooks!" He found his courage in the actions he took while he was afraid. The Wicked Witch was a real thorny heart. She played with Dorothy and friends before she captured Dorothy. "I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too!" The Witch kept throwing thorns at Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Cowardly Lion and ToTo too!

Courage is about how you react when people throw thorns at you. Maybe you are in a group of young people who are working together as part of the "Mayor's Summer Youth Program." Your job is cleaning up gardens and vacant lots around the City of Buffalo. You have to work side by side with many different personalities. Some of these people are never going to be your best friends. But you have to get along. Sometimes we have bad days and bad days are full of bad thorns.

Let's walk in the shoes of one of these young people for a day. When you get to the work site in the morning, Polly Pin Pusher is feeling pretty peevish. She starts changing the atmosphere around her with the fiery darts of her poison tongue. She is a thorn in your side like you are the pin cushion and she is the pin pusher. All day long Polly is pushing pins into your side. Your mood is in the tank. You are counting the milliseconds until the time that you can finally escape her pin pricking pessimism. The day is almost over and then..............

Polly asks for your help! Polly the Pin Pusher who was pretty peevish poured on the pin pricking pessimism and pretty much porked your day is now...powerless! You probably thinking; "You've got to be kidding me! You practically ruined my day and now you want my help?" Her request for help is probably the deepest thorn yet. What do you say?
Courage says yes.
Courage says yes to to the Pin Pusher in the midst of being pricked by the pin.

I know you probably think I've lost the gray matter between my ears. But it's kind of like turning the other cheek when someone slaps you. We are all going to get slapped and sometimes we are the "slapper." Buffalo is the "City of Good Neighbors." I read a very good book that said:

" Love your neighbor as yourself."

I want to thank Mayor Byron Brown for his "Mayor's Summer Youth Program."
I want to thank Elizabeth Triggs who is the President and Founder of None Like You Family Outreach Program. Both of these people have to feel the pin pushing pessimism of critics as they Rebuild Buffalo one block at a time. Mayor Brown did not create the problems of Buffalo but he inherited them. It took courage to accept that inheritance. Don't criticize him, energize him with constructive, active support. You don;t have to agree with him but you do need to support him.

COURAGE BUILDS A CITY OF GOOD NEIGHBORS!

YWAPBuffalo
YOUTH WITH A PURPOSE
ALL CHILDREN ARE GIFTED
345 7th Street
Buffalo, New York 14201
716-830-8240
ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com
Check out our blogs at: http://buffalo.yourhub.com/~YWAP
Our long term goal is to start a 24-7 positive radio station for youth in Buffalo, NY that reaches the world.
We also have a conflict resolution assembly program for schools.

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