The wave of impact from the April17-19, 2009 Tucson Boys to Men Rite of Passage Adventure Weekend are still reverberating. I want to share two items that were passed among the staff after the weekend . . . along with many expressions of gratitude and joy.
The first is from the movie Rob Roy, and it's about honor. It is especially fitting given the lessons about life we were holding up for boys, and what they were witnessing in men's behavior that whole weekend:
Son: Father, will the MacGregor’s ever be kings again?
Rob Roy:All men with honor are kings - but not all kings have honor.
Son: What is honor?
Rob Roy: Honor is.. what no man can give ye, and no one can take away. Honor is a man’s gift to himself.
Son: Do women have it?
Rob Roy: Women are the heart of honor - and we cherish and protect it in them. You must never mistreat a woman, or malign a man. Or stand by and see another do so.
Son: How do you know if you have it?
Rob Roy: Never worry in the getting of it. It grows in ye and speaks to ye. All you need to do is listen."
The next was sent by the man who was the weekend's storyteller. It's a beautiful reflection of the attitude to take into man-making work of any kind:
THE FRUIT OF LIFE
Hazrat Inayat Khan once said that every thought, every impulse, and every word that is spoken is like a seed that falls into the soil of life and takes root. Thus, every expression of love and every act of service will someday grow into a tree and bear fruit. It is our goal to arrive at that state of heart and mind where our every word, thought, and action is blended with love and contains the capacity to bear fruit. Does this mean fruit for oneself? Trees do not bear fruit for themselves; their fruit is an offering that benefits others. Living for the benefit of others through love and service is the fruit of life.
Our storyteller went on to say, "I feel blessed to have done this ‘seed planting’ with all of you. You touched my heart many ways and many times. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to plant seeds with you."
I can relate to your storyteller's story. When I speak to school audiences, I often tell the assembled students and teachers, "I'm like Johnny Appleseed in a wheelchair. Today, I'm planting seeds in the students' heads; and, now I'm turning them back over to you to nurture them."
ReplyDeleteI think that is exactly what you do on a weekend like this. It will be fun to see what nurturing results from your time together — for both the men and the boys.
What a blessing you've given them. Kudos, well done!