Canaries With Grey on Their Wings

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy—Meryl Streep

 

A widow had three pet canaries. Two of the birds had perfect yellow coloring.  But the third canary was unsightly with heavy grey streaks on its wings.  As the widow’s health declined, she worried that none of her family would want to take Billie, the canary whose color was marred with the grey streaks.  There was a close friend who she trusted.  She wrote him a note in which she asked: “Will you and your family make a home for Billie? He isn’t the prettiest, but his song is the best.”

 

Often in our service to clients, and in our families, there is a grey-winged canary.  If we only look upon their outward appearance and circumstances, and don’t listen to hear the songs they carry in their heart, we may miss a wonderful opportunity to grow through a generative relationship with them. 

 

About ten years ago a partner in my former law firm suggested that there were a significant number of families in my client directory whose financial net worth didn’t meet the minimum threshold the firm had established for determining what clients we would work with.  It was made perfectly clear to me that the road to financial success lay in only serving families whose net worth had at least 8 digits with preferably the majority having a 9 or 10 digit net worth.  While I did continue to serve many families who met that minimum net worth requirement, I chose not to abandon the clients who didn’t.  As predicted I never made as much money as those partners who complied, but I was compensated for my decision with something far more valuable: many of the clients I kept became the teachers who gave me the opportunities to learn the Seven Keys to Purposeful Trusts™. 

 

To the professional advisors who read this blog:  please don’t judge your clients by the number of zeros in their balance sheet.

 

To loving parents and grandparents, and to all other individuals who desire to nurture and mentor children and emerging adults: listen for a youth’s ability to “sing” and please don’t judge them by the coloring on their wings.

 

Through imagination and love, we can visualize the uncreated worlds of potential that lie within each life that comes within our circle of influence.  The measure of our compassion and love is our ability to look beyond the blemishes and anticipate the polished finish in each—John A. Warnick

Comments

[Drake Zimmerman]

Speaking of Canaries... A few years back my wife Jan Elfline bought a canary. Due to several flukes –referrals who explained she treats our birds VERY well, big cages, lots of fresh veggies daily - THE top breeder in the US agreed to sell her a canary. Only she didn't know the breeder from Adam. Later she found out that he consistently had 3 of the top 5 world birds. Her first clue: Where to pick up the bird? At the INTERNATIONAL canary singing contest, of course.

She showed up early asking for him. The other contestants, well, their owners, couldn’t believe she 1. Didn’t know who the guy was and 2. She was getting a canary from him. How did SHE rank? THEY had been pestering him for YEARS to get birds from him. Imagine die hard opera fans' reactions to some local showing up backstage being asked there by some guy named Pavarotti who has offered to give her special unique recording. And she doesn't know he sings opera...

Now picture the international singing competition seeking the world's best canary. The audience is seated in the darkened auditorium that is sealed for the duration of contest - no one can enter or leave, let alone make noise. The world's top canary judges are situated behind a screen, so that visual appearance of the bird is not a factor. Not all canaries dress solely in gold. Some canaries have gray, black and mottled feathers.

On the pitch black stage are several cages, each containing a top contestant for the world's greatest canary, some water and a dish of seeds. A hushed silence descends on the room. Suddenly a spotlight shines on one cage. The chosen bird lets forth. For the allotted time each bird sang its little heart out, giving its best of Avian Aria. The light goes off and he stops. Then the next contestant gets his moment to sing his way into fame. Jan closed her eyes to absorb the exquisite crescendos, trills and vibrato. When she opened her eyes she expected to see a miniature tuxedo-ed fellow with a tiny cummerbund and bottle of throat spray. The bird - Pavvy - sang wonderfully until he passed.

[John A Warnick]

Thanks Drake for a wonderful comment