Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and the weather was fairly warm. I took my daughter out for breakfast, and she remarked that she was so happy. The load of chores was light, and I was able to meet a long-time friend for some dinner and great conversation. I brought my son home one of his favorite meals, and he was happy too. And my husband was able to spend time visiting his family.
Today, I did not make soup that fed the body, but rather thought about how I could enrich the lives of my loved ones with "soup" that feeds the soul. This got me thinking about one of my favorite stories, called "Stone Soup." Perhaps you know it.
The story goes...a man is traveling, carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. When he arrives at a village, the people of the village are unwilling to share any of their food with the weary and hungry traveler. He goes to a stream, and fills his pot with water. Then he drops a large stone in the pot, and places it over a fire.
One of the villagers becomes curious
and asks what he is doing. The traveler answers that he is making a delicious stone soup, which tastes wonderful, although it still needs a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor, which he does not have. The villager hands him a little bit of seasoning. Another villager walks by, inquiring about the pot, and the
traveler again mentions the stone soup, which has not reached its full
potential yet. The villager hands him a few carrots to help out. The village butcher manages to find some salt beef . . . and so it
went as more and more villagers added another ingredient...potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and so on, until
there was a delicious meal for all.
The moral of this tale is that by working
together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is
achieved. A great recipe for a happy family, a happy community and a happy world.
SoupMom
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