Part 3: O – Opportunity to Serve
Part 4: P – Physical Well-Being
The knight stopped running, looked for a bench and sat down to rest (because as you might guess, running with a 40-pound steel helmet on your head isn’t the easiest thing to do.) He exhaled a long, deep breath of relief and looked up at his Fairy Godfather and said, “Thanks.” The grass seemed greener and the sky bluer. A giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“I’ve given you a gift.” said the flying little man. “But it’s not a gift for you to put on a shelf. You must use it every day for it to work. You must laugh at the things that scare you. You have to take the time to help others. Take care of yourself and educate yourself as much as you can about your situation. H.O.P.E. is a powerful ally. And the beauty of it is, you can use it for any trouble or dragon that comes your way.”
The knight looked over at the little dragon. He was lying on the ground, pale and gasping for breath. “He’s not having much fun, is he?” the knight noted.
“No, not really. He looks like he’s about to barf a lung,” the Fairy Godfather has he fluttered overhead. “I think you just slayed another dragon.”
And with that, the little dragon got up and started to walk away. He turned around, looked at the knight and saluted. Fear knew when he had been been beat.
The Fairy Godfather then fluttered over to the knight and said, “I think you can handle it from here. I have a hot date with your Fairy Godmother tonight. We’re going to rent Cinderella, cook a couple of steaks and hang out in front of the fire.”
The knight fist-bumped the flying man and said, “Thanks again, little flying dude.”
“My pleasure.” And the last words the Fairy Godfather said before disappearing were, “One more thing, take H.O.P.E. and share it with someone else. Write it down. Give it a catchy title like ‘H.O.P.E.: How to slay a dragon’s little brother’. Or something like that.”
As the Fairy Godfather vanished, the knight laughed louder than he had in years.
The End.
©2011 Marshall Ramsey
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This is great and I enjoyed it very much. It is inspirational yes , but is a very good story. Keep up the good work and God Bless!
I have enjoyed this so much! Thank you for putting it to paper. I wish my Howard could have known you. He was a valient soldier in the battle, but lost. He would have loved your work.
Thanks for doing what you do.
What a great attitude you have about all you’ve been through. Maybe you should sit down with others and put a wonderful spin on a few of their life stories. We all need humor in our lives and thanks to you, a few who are going through their own fear can get it from you. . . as well as a way to “joust” it out of their lives. Thanks for helping so many in oh so many ways!
So, when does the book come out in print? You know, so I can add it to my Marshall Ramsey collection of autographed keepsakes.
I loved it and there are more types of cancer and not support groups for some. It is just see what works for you.
As a breast cancer survivor and Celiac disease sufferer, I thank you. With H.O.P.E., I can make it through whatever comes next.
The TRUTH wonderfully told! Thanks so much. Though my knight lost his battle, he certainly slayed that dragon!
I’m working to make sure no more knights are lost on the battlefield. Too many good people have gone down.
Beautifully written. Love the humor in it and all so very true. Thanks for putting it down in this form.
What a great way to deal with the stress of Melanoma. I am a survivor of almost 8 years now. I work with a lot of understanding people and curious about me being cancer-free. It takes a lot of explanation that this is as good as it gets since I cannot get new skin or take off all of my moles. My oncologist was great and he had a wonderful staff. There are many activities I cannot do anymore due to the nerve damage from chemo, but I still enjoy canoeing in the Ozarks with my SPF 50. Hope life is treating you as well as myself, I have been well blessed. God took care of my needs and furnished my daughter with a sense of humor to keep me motivated to see her mature and graduate high school this May. I don’t know how to add another word to your story, but Goals and Inspiration were a big part of my motivation to “keep fighting”. Your story is worth sharing for many who do not understand the importance of early detection and treatment. Hope this finds you well and excited that Melanoma is not a death sentence like many portray it to be.
Gaylon
I am also a melanoma survivor…2 times now with the last time being 14 years and counting! I have a beautiful 14 1/2 year old daughter that was growing inside of me along with my melanoma. Thanks to a great Oncologist and Obgyn she is here and healthy. I have had many fear dragons during these 14 years but… God is great all the time and all the time God is great.
Thank you Mr. Ramsey, keep up the good work!
Sandra
Awesome…just absolutely awesome!! You are truly blessed with an amazing talent! I know you are a very busy man, but please consider a book of all your wonderful writings!! Even if I never get to meet you, I have to tell you how important you are in my life!! You inspire me to be a better person and to be grateful for every day I have despite any little problems I may have. Thank you so much!!
Tears of joy stream down my face. I am touched. Thanks and Marshall, please keep up the good work.