This was written by a good friend of mine, Dr. Drew Henderson and I believe it has some great life lessons within it.
Years ago I went with a young couple to view the site of their future home. She was slender, blond and beautiful, and possessed of more than the usual enthusiasm of a 19-year-old bride. He was tall and dark and powerfully built, and radiated the I-can-conquer-the-world attitude of most 21-year-old husbands.
The site they had selected was a grassy knoll overlooking Highway 53 on the front, and a limitless expanse of hills and valley at the back.
“See, we’ve already driven the stakes,” he said proudly. “Polly and I outlined the house in our minds, then came up together and staked it off.”
“I held the stakes straight while Bill pegged them down,” she said happily. Then her face became serious.
“This is where we’ll rear our family and this is where we’ll live always. Won’t it be a lovely place for children to play?” “It certainly will,” I said. “When do you expect to build?” “Not later than next year,” Bill said firmly.
They were bubbling over with dreams as we drove back to the small house they then occupied.
It was 20 years before I saw Bill and Polly again. During those years I drove along Highway 53 many times and never failed to look toward the grassy knoll where the dream house was to have been. The knoll was always the same-grass grown, tree-bordered and houseless. I wondered what had happened.
The knoll became to me a symbol of dream dust and ashes. Then one day as I drove by I saw a man and woman on the knoll. Impulsively, I turned from the highway, killed the motor, and walked toward them. The woman was holding stakes while the man pegged them into the ground. There was no mistaking their identity. It was Bill and Polly just 20 years removed from the day I had first walked with them on the knoll. They were too busy to notice my approach and I caught snatches of laughter-Bill’s, low and rumbling; Polly’s, merry and tinkling like a silver bell.
“May I come in?” I asked. “Yes, do come in,” said Polly. “Dinner will be served in a little while.”
They hadn’t changed much. Polly was still slender and pretty and there was no less of laughter in her eyes. Nor had the years done much harm to Bill. He was still straight and powerfully built and determined looking.
“What do you love-birds think you’re doing?” I asked. “Staking off our house,” said Bill. “For the 20th time we’re staking it off.” “We’re still determined to build that house,” said Polly.
They filled me in on many of the happenings of the past 20 years. There were four children living and one dead. There was a son in college, a daughter ready to enter, another son in high school and a daughter in junior high. There was no trace of bitterness over anything that had happened to them.
When our conversation turned to the house, their enthusiasm began to bubble. “We’ve never been able to get together enough money to begin,” said Bill, “but we’ve always driven new stakes before the old ones rotted.”
“We’ve kept praying and dreaming and driving new stakes,” said Polly. “You’ll notice that we’ve enlarged it some since we drove those first stakes.” “I guess you’ve sort of enlarged your dream,” I said. “That’s about it,” said Bill. “If nothing happens we’ll start building by next year.”
It was the last part of the next year when I drove that way again. The grassy knoll was topped by the framework of a new house, and two people were sitting on the rafters. They were Bill and Polly. As I lowered the car window, I caught the sound of two hammers and a snatch of laughter.
I drove away with a new supply of courage and dreams. Maybe Bill and Polly had discovered the secret of happiness and eternal youth. Keep praying and dreaming and driving new stakes before the old ones rot. Never let your dreams die. Enlarge your boundaries. Spread your stakes out a little farther. You may not reach them today, but the boundary of dreams should not be limited by the sunset of any day.
Our job in the office is to release the “Cause of Health” within you. To fully function and express yourself at 100% you need a nerve system free from interference. Can’t wait to see you this week to “turn the POWER ON”.
I love and appreciate all of you.
Dr. Brian
