You might be wondering what the connection is between ethics and wishing wells.
On the surface I’m not able to link the two for you without sharing a very personal part of my own story. My quest to lead an ethical life and understand ethics has been a difficult journey; a roller coaster of twists and turns, ups and downs, wrong turns/right turns, all marked by wobbly and inconsistent faith in God.
In the summer of 1971 in suburban Kansas City I chummed around with my best friends Maureen, David, and Cindy. We had just finished eighth grade and spent a lot of hours together hanging out and being kids. We proudly calling ourselves The Gang. Having known each other since third grade, we crowned ourselves with a designated name.
One summer day we followed a stream called Rushing Waters for some five miles or so that took us past a fork and along what appeared to be the boundary to a very large farm bordered by a wooden fence.
We climbed up the bank and peeked through a fence. About fifty yards away in a sprawling and expansive pasture was a massive oak tree with a wishing well under it.
Beyond curious, we climbed through the fence and marched on a straight line to the wishing well. It was there that Maureen introduced us to prayer and saying our petitions at a wishing well.
Having seen a Don’t Trespass sign, we decided to walk up the hill to a large sprawling house overlooking the pasture. The Gang then met the owner of the property, Cate Greenway.
Reflecting back on the initial meeting with Cate, I have never felt more welcomed or experienced a warmer feeling from another human being. She invited us into her life of faith, family, community, purpose and befriended us. This invitation included a history of the wishing well and why she regarded it as her personal sanctuary.
For the next year, The Gang witnessed what a warm, loving, and giving person Cate was. She always took an interest in our lives and supported us.
During this time we saw the extent of Cate’s philanthropic reach in the greater Kansas City area. She supported so many causes always looking to help others who were troubled or had little.
I remember first saying to my friends that Cate had to be an angel. Maureen, David, and Cindy never questioned my feelings in this area and felt the same way. Her ethics, kindness, and spiritual foundation were on a level I was unfamiliar with.
When my family moved from Kansas City to Minneapolis in 1972, I wrote Cate regularly. She would always write me back beautiful letters encouraging me to do my best each day and stay on track with my faith in God.
Cate was like a surrogate mother to me, and when she passed away I was crushed. In the ensuing years, I saw two other wishing wells where her presence was felt, heard, or seen.
I have always felt that Cate was very close to me, as if she were perched on my shoulders.
In saying some of this, and I saved the best for my memoir The Wishing Well, angels are for real.
There may be many naysayers out there who think my meals or drinks are spiked with goofy sauce, and I accept your doubts. However, I don’t have to prove anything or produce the evidence that might sway you a particular way.
I started writing The Wishing Well while serving a one year federal prison sentence. It was a tribute to God, his Son, Cate, my wife, two boys, my family, extended family, and wonderful cast of supporting friends who loved and supported me.
There aren’t enough words in my vocabulary that adequately cover grateful and thankful.
I think about Cate almost every day; remembering her prophetic and haunting advice. “Stay on track Mark. Don’t veer off course. If you do, believe and trust that God will be there for you.”
Cate was always right, she was sent to me for a reason, and was simply a wonderful messenger.
Her ethics, faith in God, and moral compass was indisputable and rock solid.
Ethics is defined as knowing the difference between right and wrong, and then doing the right thing.
I have managed to take this definition and use it while addressing various audiences about ethics, as well as incorporating it into rebuilding my faith and moral compass.
Whether your paths involve wishing wells, meeting a messenger, or even an angel, it is important to discover your purpose. Admittedly, this is easier said than done.
We all have a purpose and a reason for being. Make the most of your time and attributes always trying to do your best each day. No one can ask more or less from us.
Ethics, faith in God, and moral compasses are the key ingredients to living successful and purposeful lives.
It is time for all of us to make our planet a better place. We can always look out for others less privileged and more impoverished.
With blessings and best wishes, Mark
No comments yet.