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GIVE WINGS, WILL FLY Uplifting Stories
HEDWIG LEWIS SJ
For information regarding this book CLICK HERE
FOREWORD If you had wings, where would you go? If you did not need an airplane or a hot-air balloon to rise above the clouds, how would you feel? For hundreds of years, humans have attempted to fly. Perhaps you have heard of a man who did succeed in flying like a bird in the air! In Greek mythology he was called Daedalus. He was accompanied in the clouds by his son Icarus who, alas, flies too close to the sun… As the story goes, Daedalus once built a wonderful Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete who needed it to imprison his son the Minotaur. It had winding ways so cunningly tangled up and twisted around that, once inside, one could never find ones way out again without a magic clue. King Minos did not want Daedalus to be able to tell its secrets to anybody else, and so he kept him as a prisoner in a tall tower, all alone with only his young son Icarus. Daedalus, using his ingenuity, managed to escape from the tower with his son; but it seemed impossible to leave the island; every ship that came or went was well guarded by order of the king. Once, while contemplating the sea-gulls in the air, he felt inspired by their ability to fly so freely wherever they wished to go. Was it not possible to imitate them? Genius that he was, he thought of a plan for himself and his son. He began to implement it immediately. His first task was to collect feathers, large and small. Little by little, he gathered a store of feathers. Then he began fashioning two great wings like those of a bird, by fastening the feathers together with thread, then moulding them in with wax. When they were finally finished, Daedalus fitted them to his shoulders. He started waving his winged arms, as if he were swimming in the sea. Slowly, he felt himself lifted off the ground, and by carefully manoeuvring his arms, he could hold himself in the air. He practiced for some days, and like a great fledgling, he learned to fly. Without delay, he fell to work on a pair of wings for the boy Icarus, and taught him carefully how to use them. He warned not to undertake rash adventures when they were air-borne. “Remember,” said the father, “never to fly very low or very high, for the fogs about the earth would weigh you down, but the blaze of the sun will surely melt your feathers apart if you go too near.” Icarus promised to be careful. So they set off for freedom. At first everything went well, but after a little while Icarus got tired of just flying in a straight line. He began to try to do tricks and go up and down. His father kept warning him to behave himself, but Icarus was having too much fun to listen, and he kept on going up, higher and higher. Suddenly he realized his wings really were melting! He tried to go back down again, but it was too late. His wings came apart, and he fell down, down, down into the ocean, where he drowned. What is the moral of the story? That is for you to tell! They are several lessons one can draw from this myth. The stories in this book are meant to serve as wings – to help your spirits soar beyond the limiting factors in life. They are “uplifting” stories, in the truest sense of the word, because they will move your mind and heart and soul to soar above yourself in lending a hand to those who need uplifting, to hover over distant horizons, to rise above the clouds. They will make you feel “uplifted”, elated, unchained. You will experience a freedom of spirit as you fly beyond the human limitations of egoism, pettiness, selfishness… and also (in the varied ways you can use them) to teach others how to fly. Have a safe flight!
CONTENTS
A. PERSONS FOR OTHERS Empathy Generosity of spirit Person-oriented
B. FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL Personal potential Developing ones potential Self-acceptance Conquering disabilities Challenges Off Target
C. INTER-PERSONAL Relationships All in the family Judging others
D. VALUES Convictions Self-sacrifice Professionalism Vision
E. SUPRA-NATURAL Divine encounters Walking your talk Zen awakenings
F. PERSPECTIVES
Here you have an inspiring collection of little stories from across the centuries. Our imagination can take us beyond time and space in a matter of minutes. With imagination one can also use ones skills to enable one to rise above the ordinary to the ordinary. Stories undoubtedly fuel imagination. [Publisher: From the back cover]
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Dear Fr Hedwig, Peace! Thanks a lot for the wonderful work you are doing for the church and particularly for the Society of Jesus. I am glad that you are publishing your books in Pauline press, as well. Yesterday I bought your book entitled: GIVE WINGS, WILL FLY. JOHN PACKIARAJ, SJ sjpackiasj@gmail.com Oct 5, 2011
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Dear Fr Lewis, I just finished reading your book GIVE WINGS, WILL FLY. It contains very inspiring stories. Congratulation for the good work you did. I read also the other books, MIRRORS FOR THE HEART, PERSONS ARE GIFTS AND IMAGES IN MIRRORS. They too contain very inspiring stories. With cordial greetings Herve Morissette, csc
rv27csc@gmail.com
to
"There is talent, beauty,
wonder and inspiration in your midst right now. To pass it by is to miss the
gift. To stop and breathe in it is to be the recipient of a miracle."
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