The story of "stone soup" exists all over the world. In my favorite variation, a hungry traveler appears in a village with nothing but an empty cooking pot, a spoon, and his appetite. When the suspicious villagers will not show him any hospitality, he sets up his cooking pot in the village square and begins to boil water with a simple stone in it. As the curious townsfolk pass by and ask him what he is doing, he stirs the pot and tells them that he is making stone soup. Further, he explains that at the end of the day when the soup is ready, everyone will be welcome to come and share it with him. Eventually, one person ventures that the soup might taste better with a few onions. Soon the villagers are each bringing a couple of carrots, a potato, a little salt, whatever they have on hand to add to the stone soup. At the end of the day, the whole town shares a delicious pot of soup (minus the stone, of course), and they have also learned a valuable lesson about the joys of shari...
Photo by Paula Sullivan This past Saturday left me hopeful. And then we woke up to a mix of rain and snow this morning...but no worries! This is just typical flighty New England weather during the transition from winter to mud season. Soon, soon, I keep telling myself. The increased light helps a lot. And the flowers do too! Thank you to Paula S for brightening our day. I appreciate the responses from so many of you last week. They also left me very hopeful. All of you are part of a community that cares about the people who are being left behind. Your responses reassured me that there is a deep well of caring in all of you and in our community as a whole. I pray that other regions and other States have individuals, businesses, civic clubs, churches, and other houses of worship like we do around here, with the spirit of generosity that all of you have. In the past couple of weeks, we have had new volunteers and donors, including a new cookie baker, a new Saturd...