A wise woman who was traveling
in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next
day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman
opened her bag to share her food.
The hungry traveler saw the precious
stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without
hesitation. The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He
knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.
But, a few days later, he came back
to return the stone to the wise woman.
"I've been thinking," he said.
"I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in
the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give
me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."
Sometimes it is not the wealth you have
but what's inside you that others need.