CONFESSIONS OF A CRACKPOT

Because the internet has been around for a couple of years now ...stories tend to cycle or recycle through your email. Reminds me of the jokes we use to tell as kids...so "Whats black and white and read all over?" Answer a newspaper (and if you went to Catholic school the answer was a Nun falling down the stairs) Little changes... because I still hear from my grandchildren this joke...so we will be seeing some of the same stories up until the time we die (good thing is... the older you get the chances that you will remember the story are slim...and thus you will be a story virgin once again). So today I received a story that I have received several times before and I was glad for the reminder that I am a crack(ed) pot...I know that I am not perfect and I think this is what drives me crazy...the feelings of being inadequate consume me at times and my ability to achieve anything. So I was glad that this story reminded me that even though I am not perfect I have done some good along the way...the only problem is where I was nurturing flowers others wanted a forest and that I simply can not provide...so I will just continue in this life to do the best that I can, love the Lord and my family and friends to the best of my ability and recognize that the crack (ed) pot that I am is OK...here is the story:

An elderly Chinese woman had two Large pots, each hung 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 the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

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. SO, To all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the Flowers on your side of the path!