Humor 2/7/00: How to Cross a River & Baby Erik and the Old Man

Hi everyone,

Happy Chinese New Year! I hope you had lots of great Chinese food to
celebrate. Although I didn't have Chinese food, I had a good time
eating dinner with some of my classmates.

I'm very excited because I will be going back to Boston to attend
Harvard B-school's Cyberposium conference. I'll be in Boston from 2/24
to 2/27. The conference will be from Friday evening to Sunday
afternoon. However, I will be at BCEC on Sunday, but probably won't
make it to Oasis.

If you're free, I would like to meet up during the day on Thursday or
Friday. Since I'll be at Harvard most of the time, I don't think I'm
renting a car. So if we can meet in Cambridge that would be great. I'm
really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could discover that
something you thought was false was actually true, what would you wish
it to be?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Anna Man, followed by an
inspirational (and very convicting) story forwarded by Ryan Chen.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

One day three men were walking along and came upon a raging, violent
river. They needed to get to the other side, but had no way of crossing
the river.

The first man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength,
courage, and ability to cross this river." Poof! God gave him big arms
and strong legs, and he was able to swim across the river in about two
hours.

Seeing this, the second man prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me
the strength, courage, and ability to cross this river." Poof! God gave
him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in about three
hours.

The third man had seen how this worked out for the other two, so he also
prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength, courage, and
ability to cross this river." And poof! God turned him into a woman
and he walked across the bridge.
____________________________

Baby Erik and the Old Man

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in
a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his
fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were wide with
excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He wriggled and
giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man with
a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were baggy
with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes.
His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His
whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so
varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell,
but I was sure he smelled.

His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; hi there,
big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I
exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer,
"Hi, hi there."

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the
man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.
Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya
know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows
peek-a-boo."

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My
husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik,
who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum,
who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband
went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The
old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of
here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed.

As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to side-step him
and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my
arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position.

Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the
man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby
consummated their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust,
love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder.
The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His
aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor -- gently, so gently,
cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back.

No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood
awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a
moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a
firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby."

Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He
pried Erik from his chest -- unwillingly, longingly, as though he were
in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am,
you've given me my Christmas gift."

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran
for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik
so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me."

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny
child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and
a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind,
holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking -- "Are you
willing to share your son for a moment?" -- when He shared His for all
eternity.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom
of God, we must become as little children."

If this has blessed you, please bless others by sending it on.
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
14400 Addison Ave. #119
Sherman Oaks CA 91423
(818)461-8930
Instant Messenger ID: joshli
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/