That’s easy for you to say, but it is easier said than done,” the young man told him. “Oh, is it?” the man said, and then walking toward the younger man, he said, “Nothing worthwhile is easy to accomplish.” The young man still lying on the floor mat turned toward me and said, “Sir could help me up?” My view of him had been partially blocked by a stack of foam blocks. I responded, “Sure, I’ll give you a hand.” As I came closer to him, I choked on my words.

He had no hands.

His arms were tightly bandaged and covered at the elbow. “Oh, I’m sorry...” I began to stammer. “You could do more,” the other man repeated. I backed off as he took a stance

right over the young man on the mat. “I can’t do more!” the young man shouted.

Then, in a moment that I will never forget, the man standing over him appeared to reach down to help him, but instead raised both legs of his trousers. He was standing on two stainless steel prostheses. “You could do more,” he repeated, now in a softer, reassuring tone.

I quietly retreated from the room. As I neared the doorway, I could hear them both talking about their challenges. Soon my friend returned.

“Okay, now what were you saying? You were a great help to me last year. I’m counting on you,” he said. Glancing back at the exercise room, I turned to him and said, “I could do more.” My experience that day has me taking inventory of my own life. There is so much more I could be doing. — Beliefnet.com (Concluded)