Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses, and all the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again.
So, who was Humpty Dumpty? And what might we learn from him? Besides being my very favorite nursery rhyme, I actually thought he was a personable egg who took a bad fall.
Upon doing a little research into Humpty-lore, I learned that Humpty Dumpty was powerful cannon during the English Civil War (1642-49). He was mounted on top of the St. Mary's at the Wall church in Colchester defending the city against siege in the summer of 1648. Although Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold, it was captured by the Royalists who held it for 11 weeks. The church tower was hit by the enemy and the top of the tower was blown off, sending Humpty tumbling to the ground. Naturally the King's men tried to mend him but, alas, they failed.
If I really want to get myself good and bummed, all I have to do is listen to the pundits who are busy telling us that so far this century has been one of decline for our Country. For many of us, our Humptys were pushed right off the wall and shattered into pieces.
And the question now is "how will we put it all back together again?" I am pretty sure that all the King's Horses and all the King's Men will not be of much help to us. Humpty discovered that the hard way.
But there is a whole bunch of opportunity hiding inside the crisis. The opportunity for us to put it all back together, perhaps way better than it was to begin with. The opportunity for us to leap forward in Faith, rather than let Fear slow us down or even paralyze us.
As a cannon, poor Humpty had to depend on "all the King's horses and all the King's men." We do not. In this Country, we truly have the freedom to lead our lives.
And along with that wonderful gift of freedom comes an equal amount of personal responsibility. We believe that the cumulative effect of many people choosing to lead their lives, not waiting to be rescued, will help make us better, as individuals, families, communities, and as a Country.