I recently read a story about a ring. It was a normal class ring from a little high school in Pennsylvania. It was in the 40s. Two buddies (Skinner and Bressi) went to the same high school. One got his high school ring (Bressi) and the other did not.
When the war broke out they did what all young men did back then…they signed up to fight the Japanese who had just attacked Pearl Harbor. They ended up separated and assigned to different units in the Phillipines. However, both were captured by the Japanese and put in work camps in 1942.
Through months of asking, Bressi heard of where Skinner was…and that he was alive. But not for long. “Zero Ward” they called it. A nightmare to end all nightmares.
The “healthy” friend Bressi asked to go to the zero ward to visit his friend and he was allowed.
He didn’t recognize him as he stumbled out of the mass of men towards the fence. 79 pounds. Malaria. Dysentery. Pellagra. Scurvy. Couldn’t eat. Couldn’t drink. This was a goodbye meeting. His friend was dead, his body just didn’t know it yet.
After the 5 minutes, Bressi slipped his only possession through the fence into his bony friend’s hands. His class ring. He had kept it for bargaining should he ever need it. He told his friend to find a guard, barter for medicine. “I’m already dead…you have a chance, you keep it.”
He insisted and Skinner took the ring.
Who does that? How impractical. What a waste. Something as valuable as gold in the middle of a concentration camp given to someone who has “zero” chance of benefiting from it. Zero ward meant there was zero chance the people in there would survive.
Much like the ring the father gave to the son in the “prodigal son” story. There was nothing that the son or the friend had to offer. Both were lost. In fact, gone. And they did nothing to deserve the gift. The friend in the concentration camp did nothing to show he had any hope of being able to use the ring. The son who left did nothing to show he wouldn’t just misuse the ring like he did last time.
Ever felt like that…? Ever feel like you don’t deserve the kindness of a stranger or a friend? Worse…ever feel like you’ve judged someone as not deserving of the kindness of…well…you?
There are a few people in my life that I don’t want to give my kindness. Quite the opposite in fact. I don’t want any good to happen to them at all. I don’t want them to have a ring. I’m pretty sure I’d push them into the zero ward if given the chance. Being honest…
Shame on me…I want to offer kindness to those that don’t deserve it (I do that). But more than that…I want to offer kindness to my enemies (I’m working on that one).
Skinner took the ring. He found a guard who was “kind”. The guard took the ring. A couple of days later the guard slipped him some medicine. A couple of days later some limes. And then a new pair of paints. More and more every other day.
3 weeks he was able to stand. 3 months and he was moved to the “healthy” side of the camp.
About a year ago someone gave me a ring…and it saved me too.
Skinner and Bressi survived and returned to Pennsylvania…because of a ring. One day Skinner showed up with a box and in the box was an exact replica of the ring. He told Bressi…that ring saved my life.
No it didn’t. Bressi’s belief in his friend saved Skinner’s life. No one else in the entire world believed Skinner would survive. They had “zero” reason to believe so. But Bressi did. Bressi gave all he had to his dead friend because that’s what love does. He loved his friend and…
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres….always…always.
Does anyone in your life need to hear that you believe in them? Then give them a ring and tell them.
Brint's Blog 