Wherefo' Is You?

Hmmmm.....Where you suppose Rags is? Not yet well? Ah, then, we knew this when we signed up, that she might be 88 before she returns here. But, what the heck, I am going to keep this up until she nudges me aside. And since I get worser 'n' worser, it should be soon.

+ + + + + + + +

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hanging on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled. "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my table.

"Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace this life. Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them."

And so, to all the crackpot friends of Ol' Hoss, have a great day and remember to sniff the flowers on your side of the path.