The Littlest Firefighter

The 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true.

She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?" "Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true,"

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards!

"And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy one - with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast." Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station.

He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van and even the fire chief's car. He was also video-taped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the fire chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire?" It's just the fire department coming to see one of it's finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room? Thanks."

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window and 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him.

With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" "Billy, you are," the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and closed his eyes one last time

This is tale that used to be told to old ones when they fell ill, and young ones would hear it as they fell asleep at night it tells of the days when a blight hung over the land. Nothing prospered. Nothing flourished. Not even zucchini would grow. Which as you know grows about everywhere, whether you particularly like that vegetable or not. So you can have some sense of how bad things were.

The King of that time decided there was only one remedy. He must marry his son to the wealthiest Princess he could find, and hope that her dowry would help provide the means to bring the country back to life. This King’s son was dutiful to the needs of the kingdom. Therefore, he met this girl his father had chosen on one day, married her the second, and on the third brought her home to his castle, which truth be told was not much more than a pile of drafty stone.

The Princess took one look at it and said, “I am now your wife. I have promised to honor and to cherish you, though I never promised to obey, for I have a mind of my own. Most of all, I have promised that I will find the way to love you truly. This, though I hardly even know you, for our acquaintance is no more than three days old. For these promises that I have made, and the ones you made in return , all on the behalf of others, I would like to ask you to grant me, one wish, for myself alone.”

“You have but to name it,” the newly wedded Prince replied. Which was the gallant thing to say, if not the cautious one. “I wish you to build me a room,” his wife said, “one single room where I will be warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. A room that will ring with my laughter, but where I will not be afraid to rage and cry. A room so well made I can trust that it will shelter me when all others fail, in which our children may be conceived and born. You must do this with your own two hands, for it is not a task that may be entrusted to any other. Will you grant me this wish?”

The Prince was understandably startled at this request. He had been taught to do many things, but building a room of any sort had hardly been among them. The truth was that he did not know how. But as he stood pondering how to answer, he discovered that he did know one thing: he knew how much he wanted to try. For the wish that had been growing in his heart all the while his wife had spoken was that he might prove worthy of whatever she might ask. And so he said, “Madam, I am not certain I know how to grant this wish, but I am certain that I will try.”

“That answer will suffice for now,” his bride said. And so, together, they went into the castle, and on their way in, the Prince reached down and picked up a single stone.

For many years the Prince worked on the room his wife had wished for. Years that saw him become King, that saw his own sons and daughters born into the world to be princes and princesses. Years that saw his hair turn gray even as his kingdom prospered. For the people of the land, inspired by their monarch’s dedication, set about following his example. All they did, they strove to do well.

There were many days when the King could do no work on the room at all. On those days, he would wrap his fingers tightly around the stone he had picked up the day his wife had made her wish, as if simply by touching this small piece of rock, he could make the room she had wished for grow.

And, when, at long last, the day came when the King prepared to leave this life, on that day he turned to his wife with tears in his eyes. “I have loved you above all else,” he said. “But still I have failed you, for the only thing you ever asked of me, a single room, remains undone.”

“Great foolish heart, “ the Queen replied. “How can you be so blind? You have worked to build me what I asked for all the days of our lives. Even when the task seemed impossible, even when it would have been easier to give up, you did not, but kept on going. You have kept me warm in winter, and cool in summer. You have laughed with me, and you have cried. You have given me the children who are almost, but not quite, my greatest joy. For the greatest joy of all is the way you held my wish in the center of your heart through all the days of our lives.

That is where the room that you have built for me lies. Just as the room I built for you lies within mine. And in this way have all our wishes been granted. Together, we have made ourselves a home.

Not long after this the King died. Within a space of one year, his Queen had followed, and the people mourned. But, the tale of the young Prince who set out to grant his new bride’s single wish is still told to this day, and it inspires all who hear it.

My challenge to you is to also be inspired and choose a single, small stone, even if just to wrap your fingers tightly round it when the task seems impossible, even when it would be easier to give up and give in, but instead keep going.

----abridged from “Golden” by Cameron Dokey ----