There’s a story called The Velveteen Rabbit. It’s about a stuffed animal that was drug around by a Boy during the magical moments of childhood, through sickness and fear.
What is Real? the Velveteen Rabbit asked the old, wise Horse in the nursery.
Being real, the Horse says, is when The Boy loves you regardless of what you look like or how old you are.
When he loves you for who you are, then you’re Real.
******
This weekend we lost someone who knew what it was to be Real. Velveteen Rabbit real.
Someone empathetic, compassionate, and gentle.
Someone living what’s important.
Velveteen Rabbit important.
Taking moments with people. Taking moments with children. Helping when needed. Listening without judgment.
I’m afraid people don’t know how to be Real anymore.
We’re too busy striving….what for, I’m not sure.
Things that are meaningless when we’re gone.
Things that aren’t Real.
*****
Legacies are left when we’re Real with people.
Like the Boy and the Rabbit, doing life in the dirt, in sickness and fear.
Are you spending time with people in places that are dirty, filled with sickness and fear?
These are Real moments full of truth, love, and compassion.
Priceless moments in a world where shiny, big and beautiful is valued.
When death comes, people don’t care about shiny, big and beautiful.
They want to hold on to something Real.
A legacy that’s planted down deep, one they can hold onto.
I don’t know about you, but ten minutes on Twitter and the nightly news leaves me empty.
There’s a lot of violent, sick, and crazy things happening.
People shouting, blaming, living in fear.
I refuse to be accept a world where people are losing sight of what’s real.
Will you join me? Do things scream for your attention that conflict with your values?
Do you feel helpless in a world that’s increasingly violent, self-centered, sex-saturated and crazy?
You don’t have to. You can impact every life around you by being Real. Velveteen Real.
People are hungry for authenticity, relationships and truth.
Do you love people for who they are, regardless of what they look like or how old they are?
You have the ability to impact the world each time you make time for people, play with a child, listen with your heart and tell someone you love them.
If you’re so busy you can’t remember the last time you did these things, take a moment to pause, rest, and reach out.
When your last breath is taken, will you be at peace with the Real things you’ve done?
“She told me she loved me the last time I talked to her” someone said tonight.
That’s Velveteen Real.
What legacy will you leave?
Who can you impact today? Will you share with us how you’ve been real with others?
The post The Legacy of Being Real appeared first on Life Beyond the Picket Fence.