Remember Mel, Hath, and Beorn of “Desert Stew,” and I told you of the Shepherd Boy that Beorn told Mel about. Well, now there’s Hath. Hath and his father and the turtles. Can I tell you about that today?
Well, you know that “Desert Stew,” the story began because Hath and Mel were curious about following a star. They got that way because of the way their mothers talked to them.
Hath’s mother, on many warm summer nights, just stood in the backyard with him, looking up at the sky. She’d point up at the North Star, show Hath how to find the “Great Bear” star, and from there, find the “Little Bear” star, line them up….
I don’t know which Hath liked more, the stars, or just being with his mother. It was the one time in the day it was quiet; he had his mother all to himself; he didn’t have to study; and his mother was all done with her chores too.
But one morning, something really exciting happened. Hath’s father asked if he’d like to come with him during the day! It will be good study, he said to Hath’s mother. That day, the topic was about what made good leaders, and he wanted Hath to hear. So Hath went, excited to see the most important men of the country discuss the future leadership of the Great Babylonian Empire.
But when they got to the royal palace, Hath’s father didn’t go in but kept walking. But wasn’t he going to the lecture hall? The masters met out in the gardens, he was told. So Hath followed his father out to the pond.
His father sat down on a big boulder and started calling out, “Homer! Aristarcus! Wise mentors of the Pond, I come with my son today!”
First one, then another, then another…until maybe ten turtles appeared and slowly moved towards Hath’s father. No other human being showed up. In fact, if someone had come, the turtles would’ve run away. They made sure no one else was around—no one besides Hath, that is--before moving closer.
First one, then another turtle appeared and moved towards Hath’s father.
Hath slowly realized…so these turtles are the ones his father said he met in the gardens…these are “the Masters”!
“Wise mentors of the Pond, I bring you my son today—please, come meet Hathach, the joy of my heart!” You might remember Hath, expecting his father, Romulus, to meet with the most important men of the nation, was surprised to see him come to the castle garden and introduce him to the turtles! He had called them “the Masters” and “Wise Mentors of the Pond”.
Hath’s father looked so strong when he talked about his son like that. He shined. And Hath never noticed before, he looked old too.
The turtles looked at Hath. And although they were just looking, to Hath, it seemed they were sending him smiles. Romulus seemed to get it right away.
“Hath, that’s what I wanted you to see today. The most important thing for tomorrow’s leaders is what you just felt. Gentleness.”
Hath had seen many important people up front heading things. But…”Gentle”? That had never been a word he had ever thought of when thinking of a leader. But Hath heard Romulus relate what real leaders are:
Gentle People – It’s not people on lower levels reaching up for higher, greater positions, and some people have this mistaken idea of greatness; it’s not us reaching up for the stars as much as the stars bending down to us. Real leaders bend down and lift up, he realized.
The turtles in the pond told Hath’s father of the following:
l A Bear that saved a drowning crow (Aristarcus told this story.)
l 4 Lions that guarded a little girl from abusive men (Homer told this one.)
l A Hippopotamus family that delivered a zebra and friend from a crocodile (Anthony told this one.)
l A Turtle seems to have rescued a chick from a cat, but that story is unclear (Pliny wasn’t sure about this.)
Real leaders are also:
Genuine People – They really, really want to be with you. “I like you” isn’t just to get you to like them. They might not be attractive—no doubt, turtles are not like elegant white heron, graceful silk carp, or flashy award-winning birds, but they will stay loyal no matter what.
And real leaders are:
Grateful People – They don’t just use people to do things and then forget them, but always say “Thank You”, Hath’s father said. Turtles never forget kindnesses. (Actually, most animals adhere to this rule.)
And the thing that impressed Hath was, when they were going home, it was the turtles that sent or nodded “Thank-you” to Hath for coming! Wait…wasn’t he supposed to be thanking them?
“See Hath?” his father smiled. “A good leader is the first to say ‘thank you.’”
What else happened at the pond that day? Who knows. It’s just that when father and son got home that evening, right away, Hath thanked his mother for all the nights of star-gazing. Of course, Biyu was surprised and happy.
Hath realized he didn’t want to go with his father just to meet important men. He really wanted to be with his father. And Romulus had been trying to keep Hath’s heart warm. Too many adults, spend time with people only for the benefits they will bring.
Romulus and Biyu didn’t want their son to become that kind of person. And Romulus’ wise pond advisors told him to bring his child along from time to time to build the father-son bond.
Perhaps that’s why when Hath found a “human chick with trembling lips”, young enough to be his grandson, he bent down to protect him.
