On Sunny Lane: That’s All It Takes

Yesterday I ran some errands in town.

I was driving on a busy street that turned into a highway as it left town. Standing in the medial strip, apparently waiting for traffic to subside so he could cross, was a man who had a tall cane in one hand and a shopping bag in the other.

I was trying to discern just what his circumstance was. I thought he might have been a homeless individual, or maybe just a local resident on his way to his apartment. But, if such was the case, why did he need a walking stick?

It turned out that the cane/stick had a white tip on it, commonly used by people who are blind. He was whisking it from side to side on the street as he crossed. He had no service dog or a seeing person’s arm to assist him—just the cane.

As I drove on, I thought that it must take much courage to walk across that busy part of the street while unable to see what is in front of him or on either side. As a person who has all five senses, I would feel helpless without the sense of sight. Or if I had been born blind, I would probably have adapted long ago.

Shortly after this observation, I stopped at the hospital to wait for a friend. As I was sitting outside on a bench, I saw a middle-aged grandmother holding the hand of a little toddler as they left the building. They came to a set of four steps. The tiny girl took tiny steps as she made her way down each step, while holding onto her grandma’s hand. Yet, it took courage for such a little one to step out and try.

A few minutes later, two women came up the same set of steps. A feeble elderly woman was holding onto the arm of a middle-aged woman. It took courage for her to take those steps.

Big and small opportunities to use courage present themselves to every one of us every day. We don’t all have physical drawbacks that make those acts of courage more difficult. And, sometimes, the courage we need does not involve physical movement.

It takes courage to listen to someone with an opposing viewpoint while keeping an open mind. It takes courage to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves and to defend the defenseless. It takes courage to step out in faith to make decisions that are moral and just.

Those people I saw yesterday had help of one kind or another. We have help every day to do the hard things.

All it takes is to take the hand of Jesus and step out in faith.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com