I grew up listening to a story that used to lighten my heart. In fact, it still
does. I would like to share it with you!

One day, an old man sensed that his life was coming to an end and he needed to talk to his three adults sons. They were very strong, full of life and thought themselves to be invincible. The old man tried to find a way to teach them a lesson.

He gathered a few sets of 3 wooden sticks. He took one set of the sticks and
separated them one by one. He then gave one stick to one of the boys and asked him
to break it. The son broke the stick easily, feeling good! The old man did the same
to the other two boys with the next two sticks. They broke them as well.

Then, the old man gave them each of his sons two sticks tied together. He asked them
to break the sticks. They tried. After some effort, they broke them but not nearly
as easily as the single sticks.

The old man then gave each of his sons a set of three sticks to break. They tried
and tried. After a lot of sweat, none of the sons could break the sticks bundled
together.

The old man looked at his sons. He smiled and told them what he was trying to teach
them, “In much of your life, I won’t be there to remind you to love each other and
to understand each other. But I want you to remember the sticks. One is easily
broken. Two are a little harder to break, and three are unbreakable. No one should
be left out. If you remain united, you will overcome anything, any attack, any
obstacle much easier than if you were one or just 2. Do your best no matter what to
love each other. Forgive each other. Respect one another. Listen to each other and
consider each other’s opinions. One might be weak, hungry, or broken, reach out.
Your strength lies in the wellbeing of the three of you, not in one or two.”

My hope is that this story will inspire you in different ways. Maybe it will help
you seek deeper unity in your families, friends, work, community or school etc. But
it has always inspired me to keep in mind that we are all a big family in the world.
Our lives are not fully lived until we know it is not just about us. The smart way
to love ourselves is to love others, honestly and genuinely.

Especially we must give to those who need it most—the orphans, the homeless, the
sick, the ones not well loved, the rejected, the one bullied, the one in trouble.
Take time to listen, you will experience the greatest joy! St. Francis put it nicely
“It is in loving, we are loved, in consoling we are consoled…”