It appears a little wave was bouncing along in the sea having a wonderful time. Suddenly the wave notices that he is going to crash into the beach. The wave begins to cry and scream. Another wave bounces up and asks him what is wrong.

"Don't you see that we are going to crash into the beach and die!", he yells.

"Don't you realize," says the other wave patiently, "that you are not a wave? You are a part of the ocean."

I think that one reason so many of us are frightened in this world is that we think we are only tiny waves. We see ourselves as small, alone, and powerless. We fear pain, death, and each other because we don't see who we truly are.

We are not just waves. We are also a part of the ocean.

We may live in separate bodies, but we are also a part of a greater whole. We may be individual human beings, but we are also, all of us, Children of God. We are brothers and sisters in this world with the most powerful and loving Parent imaginable.

We are one family here to love each other, help each other, and make this world better. And when we do one day crash into the shore and die, we don't disappear but rather go home to the never ending love and joy that awaits us there.

I will never see myself as a mere wave. I will always know that I am a part of the ocean. I will never see myself as a lonely, isolated individual. I will always know that I am a Child of God and that all of you are my brothers and sisters.

I will never see myself as a weak person unable to help others. I will always know that it is my duty and my joy to love and help everyone from my own family to the homeless drug addict lying unconscious on the street.

Remember then who you really are. You are a Child of God, a part of a mighty ocean of love, and a powerful being capable of endless goodness and joy in this life.