Seasons There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no - it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all correct, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come. _____ Thank You To those of you who have pushed me, thank you. Without you I would have fallen. To those of you who laughed at me, thank you. Without you I wouldn't have cried. To those of you who just couldn't love me, thank you. Without you I wouldn't have known real love. To those of you who hurt my feelings, thank you. Without you I wouldn't have felt them. To those of you who left me lonely, thank you. Without you I wouldn't have discovered myself. But it is to those of you who thought I couldn't do it; It is you I thank the most, Because without you I wouldn't have tried. May God Bless each and everyone of you. A single candle can illuminate an entire room. A true friend lights up an entire lifetime. Thanks for the bright lights of your friendship. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
