It was that most dreaded of times!
The final examinations were nigh!
The panicked cramming had begun
Of all the chapters in the syllabus.
The textbooks were all piled up high,
And the space was limited in my mind.
So, as the clock struck nine one night,
My father found me sitting teary-eyed.
It did not take him time to fathom
That, with fear, I was overwhelmed.
He then calmly sat down next to me
And in a gentle voice, said reassuringly,
“How do you think the ocean forms?
One drop at a time – drop by drop.
How do you think walls are built?
One brick at a time – brick by brick.
How do you think a book is read?
One page at a time – page by page.
How do you think you’d climb a ladder?
One step at a time – higher and higher.
Yes, it’s important to start somewhere
And move along with a steady pace.
And that’s how you’d break a mountain.
You’d start by cutting a single stone.”
His words struck a chord deep inside.
It seemed that I could finally see light.
A line, a paragraph, a page at a time
Was how I studied on that dark night.
The exams and scores are long forgotten,
But not my father’s well-taught lesson.
For how do you think one goes on in life?
One learning at a time – time after time.
wordsofhope 