The safest place
Once upon a time there was an old man who had three sons. On his death-bed, the old man called his sons to him and gave them each a brown pebble, saying, "Keep it safe. Put it where it belongs." The three sons were good and obedient sons, so that is just what they did. The eldest son locked his pebble in the family vault where niether fire, nor light, not damp, nor theives could get to it. The second son sewed the pebble into the lining of his coat so that he carried it everywhere he went. The third son was much younger than the other two, and said to himself, "This is a stone. Stones belong outside in the garden," and he tossed it down in the dirt.
Days, weeks, months, seasons passed, until one day the brothers saw a tree growing where no-one had planted one. The tree's branches were heavy with the biggest, sweetest, juciest fruit any of them had tasted before. "Where did this wonderful tree come from?", the brothers wondered aloud. A wise man overheard their questions, and said to the youngest brother, "Well done! This is the tree you have planted by obeying your father's instructions, for the pebble was not a stone but a seed. Your obedience has planted this tree, and you shall have its fruit." The elder brothers were annoyed, and said, "We followed his instructions too! We kept our pebbles as safe as we knew how. Our younger brother just threw his away!" The wise man replied, "You missed the lesson. The greater command was the latter one - to 'put it where it belongs' - for nothing can be safe until it is in its proper place. Your brother knew that, and though neither he nor you may fully understand how, this tree and its fruit have followed from that seed being in its right place."
What have you hidden away, locked up, smothered that should be in the light and growing? What have you carried around with you that should be set down and left alone? Do your hopes, ambitions, desires live in the place they belong - so that they can bear fruit - or are they somewhere else? Just a thought, K.
- Posted by flyingkiwi on 04/04/2007.
- flyingkiwi's site
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