Giving Thanks!

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 the 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 the stone.”

****************

I have heard many versions of this beautiful Zen
story.  There are so many lessons to learn from
one simple tale.

I watch my kids fighting over their toys, when
‘NO’ seems so much more natural for them than
‘let’s share’. 

I get that it’s so much easier to grumble and
complain rather than appreciate and celebrate.

Like everyone else, I worry about the financial,
political and security scares all around us.  And
sometimes it’s overwhelming.

And then I wonder about that precious stone.
Where do you find such a thing?  If I found it,
would I be able to give it away with such grace
and flow?  Would I be confident that it will come
back?

For me, the river is the journey of life.  We
find many precious stones during this journey.
They may not look precious, they may seem to be
just plain old pebbles but if we look closely, if
we pay attention and take the time to pick up the
stones and shine them, we can see that they are
precious beyond all, they are priceless.

And they do not belong to us.  We just look after
them for a while.  They come and go as life takes
all kinds of twists and turns. 

All we can do is enjoy the beauty when it is in
our hands and in our lives, and let it go when we
have to.

These are moments of grace.  Moments of gratitude
and, as we focus on them, we manifest more of the
same.

In this week of thanksgiving, for those parts of
the world that celebrate this lovely tradition, I
want to give thanks.

I want to thank those precious stones that I have
been honored to hold in my arms and in my life; my
loved ones, family and friends, my home and the
stories.

Stories have always been my precious stones.
Sometimes they stay with me for months and years,
sometimes they are fleeting.  They are the
greatest and most humble of teachers, the most
inspiring and heart-warming support. 

And thank you to my colleagues and clients who
have honored me my telling me their stories.  You
are the most precious of stones!

Best wishes and best stories
Lisa