The Cracked Pot.

An old woman had two large pots, which she used to fill water. She hung each of these pots at 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 carried water up to the brim. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

This went on daily for two years with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of itself while the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. It felt sad that it could not fill fully and be of complete use to the woman.

So one day the cracked pot spoke to the woman,” 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?” The pot seemed puzzled. She continued,” That’s because I have always known about your defect, and so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day while we walked back from the stream, you watered 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 these flowers to decorate the house.”

Moral of the story None of us are perfect and have our own defects. But it is these cracks ad defects that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You have just got to take each person as they are and look for the good qualities in them. So, let us appreciate the people in our lives the way they are and value them for the uniqueness.