A story a friend shared with me today...... he called it a modern parable....
Once upon a time, there was a very poor woodcutter who lived in a small village somewhere in Europe. He lived with his son whom he loved dearly. The only possession he had was a beautiful stallion.
The villagers often asked him.... "why don't you sell your stallion? Then you'd have money to live on and you wouldn't be cursed by poverty."
He told them he would keep his stallion.... he always replied .... "Whether it's a curse or a blessing, I do not know."
One day, the stallion jumped the fence and took off across the fields and into the woods. The villagers arrived and said. "This is a curse! You've now lost your only means of prosperity."
The Woodcutter again replied, "Whether its a curse or a blessing, I do not know."
Sure enough, the stallion returned one day and brought along a few other wild horses with him. The woodcutter was delighted to see the stallion and the villagers, impressed with this event pointed out...."This is a blessing! You now have grown rich! You must feel blessed by this turn of events!?"
And the Woodcutter replied. "Whether its a blessing or a curse, I do not know."
The Woodcutter's son decided to train the new stallions. One day, he was thrown off a horse and broke both of his legs. The villagers expressed their concern....."This is terrible! We're so sorry for surely this is a curse brought upon you and your son."
But the Woodcutter replied again...."Whether its a blessing or a curse, I do not know."
Out of the blue, a violent war broke out across the land. Every single young man in the village and beyond was recruited to fight against the enemy..... every single one except the Woodcutter's son because of his broken legs. And every single one died except the Woodcutter's son.
A blessing or a curse? I do not know......
4 comments:
Beautiful parable. Sometimes the line between a blessing and a curse is only a delineation in our minds.
Great images on your site, too!
Well written, well told. Only time will tell the tale. Enjoy the journey, fresh start with new friends. opportunties abound.
david...welcome to my blog. I agree with you...its all in how you look through the lens. But I think it also has to do with having time to step away from the event and finding some breathing space to reflect.
the images in the past two and a half years are mostly my own, so thank you.
Anon...I am seeing it that way....fresh starts are welcome, and will look for those opportunities. :) thanks.
A blessing for one is a curse for another.
And never listen to the doom-mongers in the village. They are usually wrong!
I'm feeling philosophical this morning!!
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