Tug-O-War

I attended a seminar where the speaker told a story that really touched me.

A family of three moved to the coast and bought a house on the beach. The only child of this family, really enjoyed snorkeling, so he went out with his friends shortly after the family moved in. The children were swimming and playing, and had no idea of the beast that lurked beneath the water.

Suddenly a 450 pound alligator grabbed the young boy and pulled him underwater. As the other children ran screaming to safety, several neighbors came outside to see what was wrong. Just as the child's mother arrived, she saw her son briefly break free of the alligator. He was racing as fast as he could to safety as his mother reached out for him. He was almost to shore, but the alligator was faster and was gaining on the boy quickly.

Just as the mother reached out and took her son's hand, the alligator grabbed his leg. At this point a tug-o-war began between the mother and the alligator. Finally, the adrenaline in this mother won, and she pulled the boy free of the alligator's jaws. The boy had several lacerations on his head and leg, and had broken many bones in his leg.

These wounds healed, but the boy would never forget the incident.

But when he told his story, he didn't show the scar on his leg or his head where the 450 pound alligator had attacked him. He showed the scars on the back of his hand, where his 95 pound mother had drawn blood with her fingernails pulling him to safety.

What a beautiful reminder of what we can achieve, with love and a good set of nails.

-- Author Unknown