I sat to write my thoughts on grace and these words came which reminded me of the story of Stone Soup.
Grace
Thanks today for waterfalls, cleansing
For families stirring
like rocks in a pot,
Stone stew
The Story of Stone Soup
There is a story that takes place in post war Europe called, "Stone Soup." A traveling man, more than likely, a con man of sorts, was traveling along in the countryside. Famine had overtaken the country and everyone hoarded what little they had.Hungry, but also very clever, the traveler began questioning the village people, looking for a place to stay. Perhaps even fed.
He was met with, "move along. There is nothing here for you. We have barely enough for ourselves. There is nothing to spare."
The cunning traveler spoke up. "Ah, but I have everything I need," he said. "I have been looking forward to a pot of Stone Soup. I was hoping that I could make this delicious soup to share with all of you. He pulled out a large pot from the back of his cart and filled it with water. Then he added his "magic stone" and placed the pot on the fire. He delighted the local villagers as he spoke. He exclaimed, "Ah, this is smelling delicious! But would not a bit of cabbage taste good in this soup?"
One of the villagers indeed had a bit of cabbage and asked if the traveler would share some of the magic soup if he added the cabbage. "Of course" said the traveler. The village butcher went to his shop and added a bit of meat. Soon, all of the villagers came out to join, to look, to add, to the soup. A potato, a carrot, onion, beans.
When the soup was finished simmering indeed, it was a wonderful soup! The traveler took credit for the magic stone. No one went hungry. It was a magical day in many ways.
