Ripples v1.38: Ripples of Corn?

Ripples, version 1.38 [10/4/99] ©1999 Stone Soup Seminars

PEBBLE ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You have not lived a perfect day
unless you have done something for someone
who will never be able to repay you.
original source unknown, submitted by Trina Heinz

BOULDER ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

James Bender, in his book, How to Talk Well (New York: McGraw-Hill
Book Company, Inc. 1994), relates the story of a farmer who grew
award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where
it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and
learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter
discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors
when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?", the
reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up
pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my
neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the
quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors
grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot
improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must
help their neighbors be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help
others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it
touches.

And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness,
for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. The lesson
for each of us is this: If we are to grow good corn, we must help our
neighbors grow good corn.

submitted by Deborah Schreiner

PONDER ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We are sometimes so afraid to share our gifts because we are afraid that
someone will steal them or copy them or outdo them. I have news for you:
they are not really your gifts anyway! If you try to hide them away, they
will dry up and whither away. It is only when you give them freely that
they are allowed to mature into even greater gifts with even greater
rewards for you and the world.

Share your gifts this week. Give freely. It all comes back to you!

-ptw