Weekly Parable

The Wise Woman's Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food.  The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

Sometimes it's not the wealth you have but what's inside you that others need.

When we think of giving, we usually think of things external that we have accumulated, but giving does not necessarily mean material items or money. Indeed, one can give to others in many ways. You give when  you show someone you care with  kind word or a smile instead of a frown or when you encourage a friend or family member who is feeling down and out.  It costs nothing to  hold the door for someone or offer to run errands for someone under the weather.  

It was two years ago in winter, that dreadful winter that the snow never seemed to stop, that I walked up the subway stairs and began to cry.  The snow and ice were piled up all around me, and I was so, so frightened of falling. I stood there, tears rolling down my cheeks as everyone brushed past me and continued on their way to wherever they were going, and then she appeared, my guardian angel for the day. This young lady who went out of her way to help me across the icy street two years ago gave me the gift of time.  In a world where no one seems to care anymore, she showed me that all has not been lost, and with that came the gift of hope, a hope that respect and love for fellow man still exist.

"It's not what we give but what we share. For the gift without the giver is bare."   

James Russell Lowell

There is no greater gift than the  gift of self is the best gift. The gift of love and trust, the gift of your time and understanding, the gift of laughter, the gift of self-worth, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of self-esteem, the gift of respect, the gift of acceptance...these are the greatest gifts one can offer to another, and gifts that bless both the giver and the receiver.