The Right Hands

Matthew Kelly in his book A Call to Joy (pages 82-84) shares the story of Amanda Wellings.  Here is her story.  Amanda Wellings was nine years old and living in Princeton when both her parents and her teacher, Mrs. Bobak, were prepared to admit that she had a problem with mathematics.  The adults met to discuss the problem and decided on individual tutoring.  Yet, even with tutoring, nothing changed.  Amanda failed her mathematics test every week.


At this point both the parents and teacher agreed that mathematics was not one of Amanda's gifts.  Perhaps she should be encouraged to change her focus.


Not long after, Mrs. Bobak called in Amanda's parents and congratulated them for their work.  Mrs. Bobak mentioned that week after week Amanda's results in mathematics had been improving; she was now at the top of the class and had for the last three weeks not made a single mistake.  The parents were stunned, sharing with Mrs. Bobak, that they had not done anything.


When Amanda's parents returned to their home, confused yet eager to know what had caused this remarkable change in their daughter's mathematics ability, Amanda was already asleep.  So the next morning at the breakfast table Mr.Wellings asked, "Amanda, what has caused your grades to improve in mathematics?"  The little girl replied, "I heard about a man in town who was good with numbers.  So the day Mrs. Bobak told me that she would not be tutoring me anymore, I stopped at his house.  Tommy, the boy who sits next to me in school, had told me where he lived.  I knocked on the door and explained my problem to the man.  He was very nice and patient.  He listened to me, and then when I finished he told me to come to visit at the same time every day after school.  He said he would help me."  She continued, "Daddy, this man knows everything, even more than you.  He taught me mathematics.  It was the same stuff Mrs. Bobak had tried to teach me, but it was different."


Amanda's mother interrupted to ask, "What is the man's name?"  The young girl replied, "I'm not sure, because it has all sorts of letters and its confusing.  But it's something like Einstein."


Both parents just sat back and stared at each other.  Amanda continued, "He told me that some of us are slower than others, but we all get there in the end."


Isn't it amazing what is possible when we place ourselves in the right hands?  If what Einstein did with Amanda left her parents speechless, what is possible with the hands of God?


God's blessings!  Father Peter Schuster