A young man traveled from place to place
Carrying a large jug filled every morning
With sweet dew from Heaven.

The man traveled from village to village,
Each one desiring a drink of his nectar,
But he gave it grudgingly, and often gave none,
For he wanted it for himself.

Toward the end of his daily journey,
The traveler tried to sate his thirst
By drinking from his jug.

Alas, he discovered most of
The precious water was gone,
Taken by the midday sun;
What was left was tainted
By the dust of the earth and
Soiled by the birds of the air.

At the next village,
The angry, thirsty man
Poured the bitter dew into the well,
Thus poisoning the village.

The man spent every night
With an empty jug that reeked
From the stench of the dirty water.

One day,
The man found another
Who also carried a jug;
The two of the traveled together
To the many villages.

The first man gave sparingly,
As he was wont to do,
And watched his companion
Pour freely from his jug
Into the mouth of the thirsty village.

The village drank freely from
The second man’s jug;
Giving thanks for their favors,
They sent the men on their way.

A thunderstorm erupted
During their journey;
The miserly man
Sought shelter for himself
And left his partner in the rain.

The generous man
Lifted his jug before Heaven,
And it was filled to the brim with
Fresh rainwater.

When the sun returned,
The two men resumed their walk
To another village.

The miser’s jug soured with bitterness,
And he once again dumped it
Into the village well;
The generous man gave the village
Fresh rainwater to drink and
Filled the well with what was left over.

The two men reached the miser’s home,
And the generous man
Filled the miser’s empty jug.
“How is it that your jug is full
When mine is always empty?”

The generous man replied,
“Each morning, God gives you the blessing of
A new day to serve your neighbor.

“Each village is a neighbor
Thirsting for the love in your heart;
This is the dew you carry in your jug.

“Hoarding God’s blessings will ruin that love;
Selfishness, like the earth’s dust, will taint it,
And the worries of life, like the birds of the air, will soil it,
Leaving a bitter heart that will only poison others.

“When you bless others with the kindness of God,
Heaven will refill your heart with even more blessings,
Thus, you will always have an abundance to share.

“Learn this lesson well, my friend.”

© 2006 by Robert E. Blackwell