An Eagle Kissed by God

Recently, I posted articles about Heroes. I cannot escape from this topic, 

it seems, without relaying to you...a very unique experience about Jeff,

in Washington State, who befriended a Bald Eagle and became its Hero! “Freedom”, who survived, in turn, became a Hero to others. 

                      Many thanks, I extend to my friend Carolyn in Louisiana

                                  for sending me this awesome story.

This is the kind of story you need when it seems like the world 

is spiralling out of control. Not many people get a picture 

of this proud bird snuggled up next to them.

Freedom and I have been together 11 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way,

even after surgery...it was broken in 4 places. She's my baby.

When Freedom came in, she could not stand and both wings were broken.

She was emaciated and covered with lice. We made the decision to give her

a chance at life, so I took her to the vet's office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was

loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk

to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me

with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube-feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4 to 6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand.

It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she 

couldn't stand in a week...You know you don't want to cross that line

between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. 

She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in 

on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go the the centre that Thursday, because I couldn't bear the thought of her being euthanized; 

but I went anyway, and when I walked in, everyone was grinning

from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was...

                      Standing...on her own! A big beautiful Eagle! 
               She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. 
                                    That was “a very good day” !

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove her.

I got used to the glove, and then the jesses, and we started doing

education programs for schools in western Washington. We wound up

in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets

did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had

stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere, so I wound up

doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair...the whole bit! I missed a lot of work.

When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvary and take Freedom out for walks.

Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer.

This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November, 2000, the day after Thanksgiving.

I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not completely gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. 

I went Monday and I was told that all the cancer was gone.

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk.

It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn't said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back. I was engulfed in eagle wings. Then she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that, for I don't know how long...that was a 'magic moment'. We have been soul mates ever since she came in.  This is a very special bird!

On a side note: I have had people who were sick, come up to us when we were out together, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power course through his body. I have so many stories like that.

I never forget the honour I have

of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom.

Hope you enjoy this! May God Bless You All.

“But they that wait upon the Lord

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint.”

(Isaiah 40:31)

Merle Baird-Kerr

written September 8, 2011

Postscript: The Bald Eagle is the US national emblem. It has dark brown body and wings and a white head and tail. Its legs and feet are bright yellow, as is its large hooked bill. Its piercing eyes are light yellowish-brown. Females, larger than the males, have a 6 1/2 to 7 foot wing spread (males 6 to 6 1/2 foot).

Bald Eagles are found only in North America, generally in the coastal areas

or near large inland lakes and rivers that have abundant fish and shores with large trees. Many of the Bald Eagles that breed in Washington, are permanent residents. Some birds from western Washington, leave the state in late summer and early fall and move north to exploit food sources...such as salmon...then return by January to breed. (Some birds that breed farther north, winter in Washington.)

The Bald Eagle, formerly ranged from Alaska and Canada and south into United States.  Today, the Bald Eagle can be found in every state except Hawaii. These eagles are more prevalent in Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oregon...the largest concentration  in US is in Alaska.

 

Many Bald Eagles can be found in Canada. In the past 4 or 5 years, they have returned to the Lake Erie shores. In May, 2011, two young Bald Eagles were building a nest high...in a white pine tree in woodlands of Burlington's Royal Botanical Gardens! Nature lovers locally were enthralled!

Through further research, we know that dogs and cats have not only been of

therapeutic value to patients in hospitals and nursing homes, but have alarmed

people, and saved lives in life-threatening situations. They, like Freedom, have

become Heroes!

Niagara Miracle

A Hero

                               A hero thinks of others before they think of themselves.

                               A hero will die to protect.

                               A hero can be of any age or colour.

                               A hero can be man, woman or child.

                               A hero is courageous, loving and brave.

                               A hero will never complain.

                               A hero can be made in one act of compassion

                                  or years of tender, loving care.

Some heroes are remembered, whilst others are left forgotten.

Heroes are angels in disguise saving precious innocent lives.

(Nicola Burkett)

This poem introduces my final submission about Heroes...

perhaps the most dramatic, the most heart-rending, the most “close-to-home”

experience that affected us all...emotionally and significantly!

Perhaps one of the most miraculous stories ever told took place at Niagara Falls on Saturday afternoon, July 9, 1960. A man from Niagara Falls, New York, 

took two neighbour children for a boat ride in the upper Niagara River.

The boat developed motor trouble, capsized into the river and all three were

thrown into the upper rapids. The man went over the Falls and was killed.

At the same time, the 17 year old girl was plucked 6m (20 ft) from the very edge of the Falls and her 7 year old brother, wearing only a life jacket and a bathing suit, went over the Horseshoe Falls. He came out alive to tell his story.

His name was Roger Woodward.

Luckily, one of the scenic Maid of the Mist boats was just making its turn below the Falls when one of the crew spotted the bright orange life jacket. The veteran Captain Clifton Keech manoeuvered the boat so that the crew could pick up the boy on the starboard side. After two unsuccessful throws, a life preserver landed within reach of the crying youngster. Lifted safely on board the vessel, Roger mumbled his concern about his sister.

Within the hour, word spread of this Niagara Miracle. Roger was whisked
to the Greater Niagara Hospital in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where he remained for three days with a slight concussion.

Another miracle was occurring at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls
on the American side at Terrapin Point (on Goat Island). Seventeen year old Deanne Woodward was being furiously swept towards the brink of the Falls. Hundreds stood at the brink of the Falls ...almost paralysed
with concern for the plight of this young girl.

Two men, both from New Jersey but unknown to each other, sprang into action.

John R. Hayes, a truck driver (also and auxiliary police officer ) from Union,

New Jersey climbed over the rail, stretched out his arm and pleaded with Deanne...later said that his pleading voice made her swim harder and she caught his thumb just before going over the Falls. Fearful the current would break his hold on the young girl, he shouted for help. Climbing over the railing, John Quattrochi of Pennsgrove, New Jersey came to the rescue and the two

pulled the frightened teenager to safety. Once on land, Deanne's concern

was also for her brother. Quietly, John Quattrochi whispered, “Pray for him”.

With only a cut hand, Deanne was rushed to a hospital in Niagara Falls, New York where she learned of her brother's miraculous fate. The body of the man who had taken them on a boat ride, Jim Honeycutt, was freed from the depths of the Niagara River four days later.

Roger Woodward returned to Niagara Falls, Ontario on the thirtieth anniversary of the accident and spoke to the congregation at the Glengate Alliance Church. The audience was hushed as the 37 year old told how the 12-foot aluminum fishing boat equipped with a 8.5 horsepower motor was caught in the fast flowing current, capsizing after hitting a shoal and breaking an engine pin.

Recalling his thoughts from the rapids, he said, “For me there was initially pure panic. I was scared to death. I can remember going through the rapids...
and being thrown against the rocks and being bounced around like a toy in the water and being beaten up pretty badly. My panic very quickly shifted to anger and the anger was from seeing people running frantically up and down the shoreline and wondering...why they wouldn't come out and rescue me.”

Roger Woodward then said, “After fear and anger, came peace. There was a time I thought I was going to die and my seven years of life literally passed before me and I started thinking what my parents would do with my dog and my toys and had really given up at that point and felt I was going to die that afternoon.”

Roger Woodward did not die that afternoon and has made several trips with his family to Niagara since the miraculous incident.

In 1994, Roger Woodward and his sister, Deanne Woodward Simpson once more travelled to Niagara Falls to retell their story on a half-hour Canadian television special. Joining them were the two gentlemen, now both in their eighties, who rescued Deanne from above the Falls. For Deanne, it was an extremely emotional meeting. She had not seen both gentlemen for over 30 years, nor had she since stood at the edge of the Falls that had almost claimed  both her life and that of her brother.

Reflecting on the accident years later, Roger Woodward said,

“It wasn't the hand of fate. It wasn't the hand of luck.

It wasn't the spirit of Lelawala.

It was the spirit of the living God that saved my life that day and saved my sister

and gave us hope that one day, we would come to meet Him.”

Notation: Lelawala is a Native American Legend about “The Maid of the Mist”.

   Postscript: Following the news of this near-tragedy, I recall a newspaper  

                     depiction  of "a black hand grasping the hand of a white girl"

                     rescuing her from the turbulent rapids near the Fall's jagged rim.

  

Merle Baird-Kerr

written September 4, 2011

Dear Readers: Numerous stories can be told and written about Heroes. Initially I had selected three which increased to six...each one totally worthy...historically and of heroic actions today.

We cannot overlook the heroes of September 11, 2011

at Ground Zero in New York City.

A Tribute to Entenmann's Lady                 Cross Among the Ruins

Heroes come in different forms                  On an early September morning

And some are never known.                        Hatred reared its ugly head.

Giving all they could possibly give              Terrorism struck Manhatten.

From their hearts and on their own.           Its wake left thousands dead.

Susan is one of these heroes                       It truly was a miracle...

Who ran...before being asked.                    How many lives were saved.

She knew the horror and suffering there:   Overshadowed by the horror

Performing one of life's greatest tasks.       Of the war-like rubbled gravel.

The pictures show the work she's done      Time seemed frozen, hope was lost

To help feed the folks at Ground Zero.       For loved ones left behind.

The Entenmann's Lady deserves credit      Trying to hold on... to their faith,

And the title of “American Hero”.               Praying God gives a sign.

     (Eleanor...the Songwriter)                       Uncovered from the wreckage
    (Susan Vitti obtained from                      A sight that seemed unreal...
Entenmann's  Master Bakery: pies             A cross...that stood 'bout 20 feet
  cookies, cakes, donuts, bagels.                 From twisted beams of steel.
  She brought other necessities
       that could be used. )                                         (Marge Batzer)

Rick Hansen's Cross-Country Relay

Canada's celebrated Man in Motion, Rick Hansen, will launch a cross-country relay in  Cape Spear, Newfoundland, this summer...25 years to the date of his journey home after a world-wide tour that highlighted the "potential of people" with disabilities.

The relay will pass through more than 600 communities during the nine-month, 12,000 kilometre journey, which is scheduled to start August 24, 2011 and finish in Vancouver on May 22, 2012,

Approximately 7,000 people will participate in the relay, chosen in a contest in the spring of 2001, the 53-year-old British Columbia native said in an interview on CBC News Network.

“We wanted to do something that was reminiscent of the original tour, but really focusing on how much further we've come,” said Hansen. “What better way to do that ~ to move from one person to many, to actually identify 7,000 people who have made real change in communities all across Canada along that original route, and celebrate their stories and success.”

Although Hansen will launch the journey in Newfoundland and Labrador,

and make twenty appearances along the route, the participants will  "drive the relay", collectively, covering an average of 40 to 80 kilometres a day. A Rick Hansen medal produced by the Royal Canadian Mint will be passed from one person to the next along the trek.

In more densely populated areas, participants will cover an average distance of 250 metres using different varieties of movement. During the longer distances between communities, innovative forms of transportation will include hand-cycling, snowmobiling, adaptive rowing and other approaches.

Rick Hansen

A spinal cord injury in a car crash at age 15 left Rick Hansen, who was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, paralysed from the waist down.

After rehabilitation, he returned to his passion for sports and won

19 international marathons, including six medals as a Paralympian.

At age 27 on March 21, 1985, he began his original Man in Motion tour, eventually wheeling 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries over two years before returning home to Vancouver, having raised $26 million to increase awareness about disabilities.

Since then,the Rick Hansen Foundation has generated more than $200 million for quality of life projects, awareness programs and research.

“There are hundreds of thousands of people who have been working day in and day out in local communities, bringing this to people's attention,” said Hansen, “and we want their stories to be told because it gives us a sense of “Wow, we're making progress and it's happiness because people care.”

The relay across Canada is part of a two-year anniversary project for the Rick Hansen Foundation that began March 21, celebrating the progress made in accessibility for disabled people and spinal cord injury research.

“We need to inspire the next generation. Kids everywhere have passion,

and they have the ability to make a difference,” Hansen said.

“We want to be able to channel that toward encouraging young scientists

to find a cure. How many kids sitting in classrooms today might be thinking

about what they might do...to advance one of the greatest challenges

that medical science has ever embarked on?”

Merle Baird-Kerr

written August 25, 2011

'Falcon of Malta'

“George 'Buzz' Beurling was a celebrated Second World War fighter pilot
who lived to fly! Some describe him as a rebel and recluse, but Beurling
is being remembered for the phenomenal pilot that he proved himself to be....”

wrote a Spectator journalist in September 1^st issue...2011.

He was the most decorated pilot of Canada's WWII effort

but still mostly unknown to the Canadian public.

This story so intrigued me, that I take the liberty to relate excerpts

from the article written.

“His exceptional vision, his eyesight enabled him to identify enemy aircraft

way before others could,” Rick Beurling said Thursday as his brother,

Flight Officer George Frederick Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM and Bar (RCAF)

was remembered in a tribute at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

in Hamilton, Ontario.

A life-size bronze statue in honour of the fallen hero

was unveiled , September 1 (Thursday) in front of a packed hangar.

Behind it stood a Mark XVI Spitfire, similar to the one Buzz commanded.

As Canada's lead fighter ace in the Second World War, Beurling confirmed 32 victories in his four years with Britain's Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force.

In July 1942, Malta was being bombarded by the Germans and Italians.
Beurling achieved 15 victories by shooting down 15 enemy planes in just seven flying days. He went on to score 27 confirmed victories in 14 flying days while in Malta. For this, he earned the nicknames...'Falcon of Malta' and 'Knight of Malta'.

“That's incredibly amazing, very rare,” said warplane heritage curator, Caillin Kiwalczyk. “No one ever really did it that quickly.”

In a CBC radio interview aired on November 13, 1942, reporter Bob Bowman

captured Beurling's personality and dedication, offering advice to young pilots:

           Apply yourself.

           Take in everything that's told to you.

           Don't stop studying.

           Don't stop working. (said the 21 year old)

           Shooting and flying are equally important..

Beurling was known for his deflection shooting...shooting ahead of a moving target so the target and projectile will collide...and said he was writing a book about it.

           It is most important to be able to judge angles and know when to shoot

           when you are coming in on the enemy in a turn...if you can shoot

           when you are coming in, you are a jump ahead.

Beurling told Bowman that flying was second nature to him. He always felt

comfortable in the air, but often wondered when the enemy was coming
right at him, if they would brake or keep coming. Beurling said he didn't break!

I keep shooting and hope he's going to blow up. Usually they get cold feet.

Rick Beurling described his older brother as one of the finest pilots

and marksmen of his time who died too early, at the age of 27.

(He died under mysterious circumstances while testing planes in Rome.)

Merle Baird-Kerr

written September 3, 2011

Inspiring Lady to Remember

The world hasn't just become wicked...it's always been wicked!

The prize doesn't always go to the most deserving.

We have all heard of Mother Teresa...

I ask, “Have you heard of Irena Sendler?”

A True Hero!

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena.

Her endeavours, sent to me from a friend, I wish to share with you.

Irena Sendler (nee Krzyzanowski)

February 15, 1910 ~ May 12, 2008

Early Life: Her father, Stanislaw Krzyzanowski, was a physician. Sendler sympathized with Jews from childhood...since many of his patients were Jews. Irena was a Polish Catholic social worker who served in the Polish Underground and the Zegota resistance organization in German-occupied Warsaw during WWII. As early as 1939 she and her helpers created over 3,000 false documents

to help Jewish families. This was very risky...in German-occupied Poland. All household members risked death if they were found to be hiding Jews, a more severe punishment than in other occupied European countries. Warsaw's Municipal Social Services department, a Polish relief organization,

was tolerated under German supervision.

During WWII, Irena received permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto...under the pretext of conducting inspections of sanitary conditions during a typhus outbreak, then as a Plumbing and Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive'. She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews (being German).

Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried; also, in the back of her truck was a a burlap sack (for larger kids). She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog... and the barking covered the kids'/infants' noises.

These children were placed with Polish families, the Warsaw orphanage of the Sisters of the Family of Mary, or Roman Catholic convents such as the Little Sister Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculate. She rescued between 250 to 550 Jewish children in different education and care facilities.

During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was arrested in 1943...and the Nazis broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out
and kept them in a glass jar buried under a tree in her back yard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped

were placed into foster family homes and adopted.

Awards: In 1965, Sendler was recognized by Yad Vashem

as one of the Righteous among the Nations.

She also was awarded the Commander's Cross by the Israeli Institute.

In 2001, Pope John II sent Sendler a personal letter, praising her wartime efforts. On October 10, 2003, she received the Order of the White Eagle

~ Poland's highest civilian decoration, 

and the Jan Karski Award “For Courage and Heart”,

given by the American Center of Polish Culture

in Washington, D. C. 

On March 14, 2007, Sendler was honoured by Poland's Senate.

Last year, Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize... She was not selected, unfortunately!

President Obama won one year before becoming President

for his work as a community organizer for ACORN

and

Al Gore won also...for a slide show on Global Warming.

In May 2009, Irena Sendler was posthumously granted the

Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award...named in honour of the late actress

and UNICEF ambassador...presented to persons and organizations

recognized for helping children.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.

Let us remember: SIX Million Jews...TWENTY Million Russians...

TEN Million Christians and NINETEEN HUNDRED Catholic priests

were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, more than ever, with Iran and others claiming
the HOLOCAUST to be “a myth”,

it's imperative to make sure the world never forgets,

because there are others who would like to do it again.

Merle Baird-Kerr

written August 25, 2011

I highly recommend you Google ... "The Irena Sendler Project ...by students of a rural Kansas High School called 'Life in a Jar'.

Canadian Hero ~ A. B. Simpson

Many Canadian young people seem to know more about American history and legends than about some of their own Canadian Heroes. A. B. Simpson is an unsung Canadian Hero who had a remarkable lasting impact on millions of families not only in Canada  but throughout the world.

Simpson was a man of vision. He once said that,

“People must always dream dreams before they blaze new trails

and see visions before they are strong to do exploits.”

Albert Benjamin Simpson was born on Prince Edward Island on December 15^th 1843 of Scottish Covenanter heritage. The Simpson family had emigrated from MorayShire, Scotland to Bayview, P.E.I. After his father's shipbuilding and  export business collapsed in the 1840's depression, his family moved to a farm

in western Ontario. Rev. John Geddi, on his way to the South Sea Islands as Canada's first missionary, baptized baby Albert and committed him to future missionary service.

Fresh out of seminary in 1865, Simpson had accepted the call to pastor Knox Church in Hamilton, a congregation with the second largest Presbyterian church building in Canada. Over the next eight years,  the congregation increased by over 750 new people.  Dr. William McMullen, another Presbyterian minister, said that “Simpson stood out at that time as one of the most brilliant young ministers of our church in Canada...”.

Out of the blue, Simpson was called to lead a Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. The recently ended Civil War left bitterness and division between the various churches. As a neutral Canadian pastor, Simpson was used to bringing racial reconciliation and forgiveness among the churches. Simpson with  the pastors prayed for such a baptism of love as would sweep away differences.

From reconciliation among the clergy, came two months of continuous nightly gatherings across the denominations. As the pastors joined their hands together

in unity, over 10,000 local residents joined them in prayer meetings.

Simpson's success led him to being invited to lead 13^th Street Presbyterian Church, a prestigious New York congregation. Simpson loved to reach to those who wouldn't normally feel comfortable in a traditional church setting. When 100 Italian immigrants responded to Simpson's message, he asked his church Board to admit them as new members. His Board “kindly but firmly refused”, for fear of being overwhelmed by immigrants and poor people. Out of rejection came Simpson's vision of a fellowship of Christians where everyone was welcome... regardless of race, income, denomination or social class.

Simpson decided to abandon his security and reputation, in order to start a community where all were welcome in Christianity. He began afresh with just seven other people, in a poorly heated dance hall. But Simpson had recently discovered an inner strength and resilience that kept him from slipping into discouragement. In the past, he had been such a workaholic that he had destroyed his health. Simpson's medical doctor had given him 3 months to live. But upon meeting an Episcopalian (Anglican) physician, Dr. Charles Cullis,

at Old Orchard Camp in Maine, he experienced a remarkable healing
of his heart. The next day, Simpson was able to climb a 3,000 foot mountain and successfully pray for his daughter Margaret's healing from diphtheria ~ the very disease which had earlier killed his son, Melville.

Word spread fast in 1881 of these healings. He was besieged by many with pleas for help. By others, he was vilified and ridiculed as another 'quack-miracle-worker'. Despite such criticism, Simpson received strong support from medical doctors like Dr. Jenny Trout, the first female doctor and surgeon in Canada, Dr. Robert Glover from Toronto and Dr. Lilian Yeomans, a Canadian-born surgeon

in Michigan. He also received much encouragement from well known Canadian Anglican priests like Dr. Henry Wilson and Dr. W. S. Rainford. Simpson started Friday afternoon healing and holiness meetings, which quickly became New York's largest spiritual weekday meeting with 500 to 1,000 attending.

Simpson had a real love for the whole Christian community, regardless of denomination or nationality. He said, “I want to enjoy the broadest fellowship possible myself, and I want my people to receive the benefit of the ministry of all God's gifted servants, regardless of whether they agree with me in everything or not.”

A. B. Simpson had a passion for interdenominational Christian Unity and Missions that is only now beginning to be appreciated by other churches.

Rev. Ed Hird, Rector, St. Simon's Anglican Church in North Vancouver, British Columbia who wrote the foregoing (from which I have taken excerpts) stated,

“I thank God for Canadian heroes like Albert Benjamin Simpson,

who have helped tear down the walls of misunderstanding,

bitterness and mistrust...among and within the churches.”

Every country in this world has “unsung heroes”; this man fron the 1800's has certainly enlightened my thinking. He was aware of indifferences among church-going people; rectifying the situation, he made it a “Better Place for All”!

Merle Baird-Kerr

written August 25. 2011

Irish Blessing

A few months ago, a long time friend sent me this story of a Scottish farmer who became a Hero. As frequently occurs, it is usually an unknown person, and name unrecognizable who unwittingly becomes a “Hero”. I share with you a few incidents...with surprising outcomes!

“True Heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.

It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost,

but the urge to serve others at whatever the cost.”

(Arthur Ashe)

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings.

An elderly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son's life.”

“No, I can't accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.  At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I'll make you a deal: Let me provide him with the level of education
my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow
to be a man we both will be proud of.” And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated
from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming...
the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterwards, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog

was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman ~ Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son's name ~ Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said, “What goes around, comes around”.

“Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody' s watching.

Sing like nobody's listening.

Live like it's Heaven on Earth.”

(Author unknown)

Merle Baird-Kerr

written August 25, 2011