Let Us Share Our Scales

Everyone loves a good bedtime story. As a child, I eagerly anticipated the tale of the night, so excited for what adventure would unfold before my eyes. Would the prince slay the dragon and rescue his princess? Would I be able to travel in time, travel to a fantastical land? My childhood imagination and dreams soared in bedtime stories; little did I know what they would teach me today.

Does anyone know the story of The Rainbow Fish? I vividly remember begging my mother and my father to read it to me, solely because I loved the sparkly pages. However, as I have spent the last week in one of Cape Town’s most under-served townships, Sir Lowry’s Pass, the tale of The Rainbow Fish has meant more to me than I could have ever imagined. It is the story of a young fish, adorned with countless, brilliant scales. At the beginning of the book, he flaunts his beauty, as he flutters gracefully through the sea, only to display his pride. As the story develops, however, Rainbow Fish learns the importance of friendship, and in the end, he removes one of his sparkly scales to share it with others.

It is a story so simple, yet it holds such a profound and truthful meaning. Working in Sir Lowry’s Pass for the past week, I have come to the realization that I am, that we all are, Rainbow Fish. We come from lives of comfort, of support, of love, of a home; we have so many sparkly scales. But it struck me with such intensity yesterday- are we really sharing our scales to others? Desmound Tutu said it best, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” As fish adorned with sparkly scales, it is our responsibility, our life purpose, to give and to serve. Whether that giving and serving is on a physical, emotional, or spiritual level, it is our calling to fill others’ lives with sparkly scales and to instill hope and love into the entire world.

And so, may we always be thankful for the sparkly scales that adorn our skin. And, even more, may we always be joyful to give of our sparkly scales, not for the glory of ourselves, but for the hope and for the love and for the purpose of others. What a glorious sea of beautiful fish it would be!

Mom, don’t you LOVE those rollers?! J

Laura Talton