When I began penning this weekly email a decade ago, one of the first sources I turned to for inspirational fodder was The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett. One of the stories I was particularly drawn to is the tale I am sharing with you this week. I believe I may have used it before, but, if that is the case, I believe it is truly worth sharing again.
In a speech given shortly before he was killed, President John F. Kennedy spoke about the fact that, despite our many differences, all of us who inhabit our world share in two commonalities; we are all mortal and we all cherish our children’s future. We are all part of a whole, yet far too many of us are wrapped up in our own experiences. We fervently embrace self-centered thoughts and feelings and congregate around those of a like mind. We delude ourselves into thinking that only by satisfying our personal desires will we find happiness. Perhaps that is why our world seems so divided and chaotic. Today’s fable illustrates that the true path to our enrichment, happiness, and fulfillment is to free ourselves from the confines of self by expanding our sphere of compassion to encompass all who inhabit our world.
There had been no rain in the land for a very long time. It was so hot and dry that the flowers were withered, the grass was parched and brown, and even the big, strong trees were dying. The water dried up in the creeks and rivers, the wells were dry, the fountains stooped bubbling. The cows, dogs, the horses, the birds, and all the people were so thirsty! Everyone felt uncomfortable and sick.
There was one little girl whose mother has grown very ill. “Oh,” said the little girl, if I can only find some water for my mother, I’m sure that will help her to get well again. I must find some!”
So she took a tin dipping cup and started out in search of water. By and by she came upon a tiny little spring that was hidden high up in the mountains near her village. While there was still a small amount of water in the tiny pool, there was precious little. Mostly what the little girl noticed was the drop, drop, dropping, of water, ever so slowly from an overhanging rock that moistened the small area of the formerly larger water hole. The rest of the spring bed was dry as a bone. The little girl held her cup carefully and caught each drop of water as it fell. She waited and waited a long, long time until the cup was full of water. Then she started down the mountain holding the cup carefully, for she didn’t want to spill a single drop.
On the way she passed a poor little dog. He was so weak from thirst that he could barely drag himself along. He was panting for breath and his tongue hung from his mouth because it was so dry and parched.
“Oh, you poor little dog,” cried the little girl, “you are so thirsty. I can’t pass you without giving you a few sips of water. If I share just a little with you, perhaps you will feel better and I will still have enough for my mother.”
So the little girl poured some of the water in her tin cup into her hand and held it down for the little dog. He lapped it up quickly and then felt so much better that he frisked and barked and seemed almost to say, “Thank you, little girl.” And the little girl didn’t notice, but her tin dipper had now changed into a silver dipper and was just as full of water as it had been before she shared some with her furry new friend.
The little girl thought about her suffering mother and hurried along as fast as she could careful not to spill any of her precious cargo. When she arrived home it was late in the afternoon, almost dark. The little girl pushed the door open on her home and rushed upstairs to her mother’s bedroom. When she entered the room, she noticed that the old housemaid whom her mother employed and who had been working all day caring for her mother and that she was so tired and so thirsty that she couldn’t even speak to the little girl.
“Do give her some water,” gasped her mother. “She has worked hard all day and she needs it much more than I do.”
So the little girl held the cup to her lips and the housemaid drank some of the water. Immediately she felt stronger and better and she went over to the mother and lifted her up. The little girl didn’t notice that the cup had now changed into a gold cup and was just as full of water as it was before!
Then she held the cup to her mother’s lips and she drank and drank. Oh, she felt so much better! When she had finished there was still some water left in the cup. The little girl was just raising it to her own lips when there came a knock on the door. The housemaid opened it and there stood a stranger. He was very pale and all covered with dust from traveling. “I am thirsty,” he said. “Won’t you please give me some water?”
The little girl replied, “Why, certainly I will, Sir. I am sure that you need it more than I do. Drink it all.”
The stranger smiled and took the dipper in his hand, as he did so, it changed into a diamond dipper. He then turned it upside down and all of the water spilled out and sank into the ground. And where it spilled a fountain bubbled up. The cool water flowed and splashed–enough for all of the people and animals throughout the whole land to have all of the water they wanted to drink.
As they watched the water they forgot the stranger, but presently when they looked for him he was gone. They thought they could see him just vanishing in the sky–and there in the sky, clear and high, shone the diamond dipper. It shines up there yet, reminding all of us of the little girl who was kind and unselfish. It is called the Big Dipper.
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ? Maya Angelou
Have an AWE-full Weekend!
William J. “Bill” Bacqué