Be the Best of Whatever You Are

BE THE BEST OF WHAT EVER YOU ARE

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley - But be
The best little scrub by the side of the hill.
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush - be a bit of the grass,
Some highway happier make;
If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass-
But the livliest bass in the lake.

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew.
There's something for all of us here,
There's big work to do, and there's lesser to do.
And the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail.
If you can't be the sun, be a star.
It isn't by size that you win or you fail-
Be the best of whatever you are!

© Douglas Malloch

I shared this poem with the graduating students of the Ateneo who attended the Purpose Driven Life Basic Course given by Lingkod Greenhills, Makati and QC. It was one of my favorite poems as a a child. I couldn't believe that they hadn't heard it before. It was the closing of the topic assigned to me - Ministry, Shaped for Serving God. It was a very fulfilling experience to connect to the students and to the Lingkod brothers and sisters at the same time.

For now, I have to rest. It has been an exhausting week with because of work, sleepless nights due to quasi-insomnia (or maybe I just can't stop thinking at night), preparing for the talk, and celebrating Mama's party. Immediately after Mass at the seminar, I had to go with my parents to Las Pinas for the wake of my aunt who passed away yesterday.

It seems like I'm going to have a good night's sleep. I have a headache and a cough that's telling me I'm coming down with something.

I loved every minute spent in all those activities, however. It has been a good week.