Once upon a time in a land with no rhyme
There lived a people in darkness, imprisoned by time.
Their lives were filled with sadness and fears
And, oh, how they cried many rivers of tears.

To describe them wasn’t an easy task
The first one looked the same as the last.
They were selfish and rude, all were ready to burst.
Each had the same name, “Me First,” “Me First.”

Over and over again, like the birds,
They quickly repeated their two favorite words.
“Give me, Give me,” they’d chant from the time they awoke
So they were known far and wide as the “Gimme Gimme” folk.

They had huge heads
Which made dents in their beds
Because rather than listening to their hearts
They only listened to their heads.

Because they forgot to be loving and kind,
They found that love was hard to find.
Their lonely hearts became quite small,
And feelings of fear were felt by all.
Around their hearts they built a BIG fence
Which made them feel lonely and tense.

All their mouths were larger than large
And each was bigger than a garage.
Know why their ears were really quite small?
Because they hardly listened at all!

Among so many other things
They didn’t know why they had wings.
Not one of them knew how to fly.
No “Gimme Gimme” had ever tried.

There was an awful amount of fighting
And, at times, there was some biting.
They didn’t seem to love each other.
They were always angry at one another.

Their hands were HUMONGOUS.  They grabbed all the time.
They were constantly shouting, “Mine! Mine! Mine!”
All the “Gimme Gimmes” just wanted to get.
Giving to others hadn’t occurred to them yet.

Thinking they were needy,
They were really quite greedy.
Their skin turned green wanting what others had.
Being green with envy made them very, very sad.

With heartaches and headaches and backaches galore
Like mountains of misery, “Gimme Gimmes” felt poor.
The load that they carried was called GUILT and FEAR.
It made each day’s climb feel as long as a year.

Each day they played the “game of blame.”
It went on and on, and was always the same.
No matter the problem, the game was to try
To make yourself right and blame the next guy.

Their thoughtless ways went much further, it seems.
They polluted the air, the land and the streams.
To trash Mother Nature was not to be missed
For destroying the rain forests come first on their list.

Discouraged and sad on a dark gloomy morn,
Feeling helpless and hopeless and very much torn,
A “Me First,” the one we now call “Number One,”
Climbed up the biggest mountain to find the sun.
Then struggling to climb to its highest peak,
Sat for a long time then decided to speak.
“Could all that was done wrong be made right one day?”
The thought finally came, “There must be another way!”

All fighting and blaming was all that was taught,
“Number One” stopped thinking it was someone else's fault.

“I must now work to change from within.”
Healing the past I now can begin.
For responsibility, this day, I will take.
And a better world I will help to create
PLEASE!  Can someone HELP me find a new way
To let peace and love start each new day?”

From deep inside “Number One” suddenly heard
A voice filled with love…”Number One” felt assured!
It was “Number One’s” HEART beginning to talk,
“Come follow me now as we both take a walk.
I’ll be your guide, so LISTEN to me
I’ll show you the road to a new way to be.
As you let go of the blame from before
You’ll not have those enemies here anymore.”

“You’ll soon discover this…and much, much more.
LOVE AND FORGIVENESS ARE WHAT LIFE’S REALLY FOR.”

“What is forgiveness?” you might ask.
“It is our most important task!
It’s healing our hearts and letting go of the past.
With our hearts full of love, we’re free…at last!!!”

“Number One” began to let go of the hurts from the past
And wondered if this “forgiveness stuff” would really last.
“What would life be like with no one to blast?”
“Could there be freedom?” is what “Number One” asked.

The heart of “Number One” said, “Please listen to me.
Forgiveness means freedom for you and for me.
All you need is a willingness to forgive.
It’s a new way of being, and a new way to live.
The BRIDGE OF FORGIVENESS will then appear.
Wherever you are, it will always be near!”

“RIGHT FROM THE START
FOLLOW YOUR HEART…!”

Crossing the bridge, “Number One” felt much lighter
Because the sun was now shining brighter and brighter.
There, near the bridge’s end, was a Rainbow Arch.
It signaled the end of “Number One’s” march!

And once through the arch, the story is told,
That’s where true miracles start to unfold.

Having let go of angry thoughts that were old,
“Number One,” turned from green to a beautiful gold.
With a heart full of love and yellow wings for gliding,
With no effort at all, “Number One” was now flying!

Greetings of Love were in the air
From everyone, from everywhere…
And in this land of Love galore
“One” wasn’t “Me First” anymore.
The new name given made HEARTS soar
For it was “Love Forevermore!”

Over the bridge discoveries were found
That LOVE and LAUGHTER were wonderful sounds.
Everywhere was music and singing
Love was the music of everyone’s being.
With music and laughter in everyone’s ear
Each one could celebrate WITHOUT ANY FEARS!

Because there was now only Love and no Fear,
Everyone was so kind, and gentle and dear.
Each was trusting and helpful to the other,
And a teacher of LOVE to one another.

Everyone helped to beautify the earth,
Keeping it clean as it was at its birth.
They were caring because all of life was now loved.
And do you know what?  Even the trees were hugged!

Meanwhile,
Back in the land of the “Gimme Gimmes”
It was a dark and gloomy day.

Over the mountains, the “Me Firsts” rang out a song,
A call and a plea to correct all that was wrong!
Each felt the same pain “Number One” had displayed
And all cried out loud, “There must be another way!”
These voices for “HELP” soon rising high above
Were heard in the Land of Forevermore Love.

A quick response came from the “Love Forevermores”
Led by the one who was “Me First” no more.
The sun shone so brightly, Love started to flow.
Then the light in their HEARTS all began to glow.
And it was this new HEART-TO-HEART love connection
Which moved all the “Me Firsts” in that New Direction!

Everyone awakened to find the Key
To a new way of seeing, a new way to be.
Free now, each one had a new way of living.
Had opened their hearts to a new way of giving.
Finally making all right, what had been so wrong,
Some wondered why it had taken so long!

As they joyfully listened
To their gentle hearts talk,
They saw the BRIDGE OF FORGIVENESS
And started their walk.

“Just follow your heart and listen to me
Go through the Rainbow Arch and you’ll be free!
Over and over you’ll come to see
FORGIVENESS IS THE HAPPINESS KEY!”

Now there was one world,
The real world of Love,
Where Love is the answer
And Love leads to Love.

For always and ever
As never was before
All lived happily together
In the land of “Love Forevermore".

By Gerald Jampolsky, M.D. and Diane Cirincione.

Special thanks for Pamela Gregory for sharing this