"Poor boy," said the elder child, "I will get you something to eat.""But where did he come from?" the gardener asked. "We do not know," the child answered; "but he is very hungry, and mother says we may give him some food." "I will take him some milk," said the little one; in one hand she carried a mug and with the other she pulled along her little broken cart."But what is he called?" asked the gardener. "We do not know," the little one answered; "but he is very thirsty, and mother says we may give him some milk.""Where is he going?" asked the gardener. "We do not know," the children said; "but he is very tired." When the boy had rested well, he got up saying, "I must not stay any longer," and turned to go on his way."What have you to do?" the children asked. "I am one of the crew, and must help to make the world go round," he answered. "Why do we not help too?" "You are the passengers.""How far have you to go?" they asked. "Oh, a long way!" he answered. "On and on until I can touch the sun." "Will you really touch it?" they said, awestruck. "I dare say I shall tire long before I get there," he answered sadly. "Perhaps without knowing it, though, I shall reach it in my sleep," he added. But they hardly heard the last words, for he was already far off. "Why did you talk to him?" the gardener said. "He is just a working boy." "And we do nothing! It was very good of him to notice us," they said, humbly. "Good!" said the gardener in despair. "Why, between you and him there is a great difference.""There was only a wall," they answered. "Who set it up?" they asked curiously. "Why, the builders , of course. Men set it up." "And who will pull it down?" "It will not want any pulling down," the man answered grimly. "Time will do that." As the children went back to their play, they looked up at the light towards which the boy was journeying."Perhaps we too shall reach it some day," they said. |
One night a man came to our house and told me, “There is a family with eight children. They have not eaten for days,” I took some food and I went. When I finally came to the family, I saw the faces of those little children disfigured by hunger. There was no sorrow or sadness in their faces, just the deep pain of hunger. I gave the rice to the mother. She divided it in two, and went out, carrying half the rice with her. When she came back, I asked her, “Where did you go?” She gave me this simple answer, “To my neighbors-they are hungry also.” I was not surprised that she gave–because poor people are generous. But I was surprised that she knew they were hungry. As a rule, when we are suffering, we are so focused on ourselves we have no time for others. ANOTHER STORY TO COMPLETE THIS A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill? "Hands started going up. He said, "I ...
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