Story Of The Velveteen Rabbit
“Real isn’t how you are made…” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand…”
~From “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams
Sometimes the only way to deliver the most powerful ideas are through poetry or parables. The Velveteen Rabbit is a little Christmas story for children that is timeless, profound, beautiful and it contains messages that can only be understood, if at all, through a mind that knows humility. Read this message over and over again, take a printout and store it somewhere safe, for maybe one rainy afternoon, ten years from now, it will remind you once again, how to love, to be humble, to be real…
With lots of love to you all…
Shafin
—
Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
RedefineYourReality.com
ive read this before but it still brings tears to my eyes, thanks Shafin
Thank you for this beautiful story. True, it takes a very long time to get real and until we become that we don't really know. Love is built slowly and steadily but the rewards are many.____Thanks again__
Thankyou love come from heart it become real when it come from it take time to come from it you become real when it happen —- thankyou for this story love you
Thanks for the story Shafin. It was touching.
Shankar.
I get tears in my eyes every time I read it.
I loved the story it was well written,and it is true that the best stories are parables that move your spirit.Thank you for the email
loveley! Thank you very much
andreas
light my vision, bless my way, and give me strength, more understanding of love, real. THANK YOU SHAFIN
thanks Shafin, you are a source of inspiration..u can also view my stuffs @ http://www.replikakonzultingng.blogspot.com
thanks
Ademola
thank you, I'm not sure if I should cry or laugh………<3
thank you shafin for this lovely story,this is the first time i read it,i have also read a book of parables it is called `The Spark Of Wisdom` it is full with stories like this one,i recomend it to everyone,because it is also timeless.
When I was small I had a teddy bear (called Honey) and I was sure he would become real if I loved him enough. Thanks for this reminder.
Greetings Shafin. I love your sensitivity, your deep understanding of human condition and your Wisdom. Thank you, for your e-mails. Irena.
I remember my mom reading this to us when I was a kid. I'd forgotten about it. Not just rabbits but adults too– let your child self make you real, today, every day. Thanks
Hello and Greetings from Jeanna:
When I was a child, I created an imaginary friend who I could talk to and play with. I was a lonely and shy child that folks and other children would make fun of. Thank God for people who truely care.
This was really very touching. The six of us all loved our mother a lot, she was always REAL – but I grew to love my father when I saw him through his rigidity , his discipline, his principles- I tried to give him a lot of affection in his last few years -sometimes my children would say is he your dad or your baby!
Thank you for your email good story
Dear Shafin
Thanks a lot , really to understand this,it is a big help in any moments of our life !…..
best regards,
Luz
At the age of 66, I have just purchased the cutest, softest, cuddliest, Teddy Bear who is in the process of becoming real.
Thank you Shafin. I value and look forward to your inspiring stories of wisdom and sensitivity. You are "real". Thank you again for that.
its very touchy and soul invoker story. with all emotional and heart trembling provokers
thank you..really very empowering thought..no ever could replace us so we need to be real always in evrything that we do,, for truth it do always prevail….thanks again Shafin…
TREMENDOUS THOUGHT SHAFIN, THANKS FOR SHARING. JACK
Thanks Shafin for sharing this story as it is very touching..
As a single parent, it encouraged me that when I get wounded or hurt, I need to learn not to mind but continue with a smile especially at those responsible for in time they will learn to appreciate.
Thanks! Very rewarding and beautiful story.
Hi Shafin,
Your little parable is quite timely as I return home from a shift at the hospital and from a patient who had gone from being very financially successful for most of his life to now having nothing due to a prolonged manic period. Its hard for him to believe at this moment in time that the universe has provided him with a gift to shift his focus from the external world for a while and from his decision that he is now too old to be of any use like he used to be. This parable I will give him tomorrow. He will be tickled pink!
Thank you Shafin, this short story makes a lot of sense and it delivers a powerful message
Thanks a lot Shafin. Your short and sweet story really touched my heart.
this article is a parthfinder for dreamers and like i was once, i am glad a god given freind posted this to me.__may yur pen continues to flow____leke NA234
i like this story very much its meaningfull story
Hi, that's a beautiful story indeed.
What makes us absurdly so obsessed with reality? REality, they say, is not going to go away, but why it changes so soon before our dreams have come true. Should we conform to reality or dreams? I think our dreams are what make up the true form of our reality. Then, should we not conform to our dreams first?
I had the book 25 years ago and read it aloud to my daughter at the time. Since then I have been in search to become 'real' although it hurts sometimes, but life still goes on. Today I can say and see how I have chosen to build my own reality….by loving MYSELF, Dorissa
How striking this parable indeed!…even at my own level of understanding can't really comprehend the meaning of real…how to identify it or even differentiate it!
it reminds me of my cat, she loves cuddles she has a special meiw when my cuddles are to tight, I say what is a life with out cuddles, she agrees we live for our cuddles, I remember giving my dolls cuddles it was a must a few times a day they were real babies, love is the most important
Thanks Shafin
Sophie
its a nice story.but we need time to understand the concept of story.u can see its a deep story
We can make a reality by loving all. The picture of the whole world would be changed if we can love all the people. A child is born with such pure love, but we teach him or her to learn competition in everywhere. I feel very sad and weep sometimes remembering that I bought a soft toy bear for decorating corner of my room. But my little son was so eager to play and cuddle it. I tried to hide the bear so that he forget it, but he did not. I lost the battle and after some days I had to give him the bear. He showed the real love to it that I could not.
<3 i love bunnies <3
Very nice
Thanks Shafin!