Stone Soup for an Entire Village

--by lmil1954, posted May 29, 2008

Just a timeless classic told in my own words. If you've heard it before or not, it's a gem for our times.

There was a weary traveler coming upon a poor village. The people had seen him coming and hid all the food they had, knowing that the traveler would ask. Sure enough, he approached asking for food and everyone said they don't have enough to share. He then said he would make some stone soup if only he could borrow a large pot. He would make enough for everyone to share. This intrigued the villagers.

They watched in wonder as he boiled the water then took three magic stones out of his bag. As he started tasting the soup, he said "Mmmmm, this is good, but salt and pepper would make it better." One woman got him the spices. "Ah, yes," he said as he tasted again, "I've had stone soup with cabbage before and it is magnificent." Sure enough, a villager took some cabbage out of hiding to add to the soup. This happened again with carrots and potatoes, and then, as he tasted it again, he said "Oh my, this is splendid, but Ive had it with beef before and THAT my friends, is a meal fit for a king." So the village butcher got him some beef and together all of the villagers had the best meal that they had ever tasted.

Amazing what one quick thinker and a few kind folks can do when they put their heads together!

1887 Reads

Posted by lmil1954
May 29, 2008
Comments (7)

Readers Comments

JuneBug wrote: I LOVED this story as a child as much as I do today...Maybe I just never grew up! Thank you for sharing it and it's moral! :}

MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: I haven't seen this before so thanks for sharing!

brighteyes wrote: Not sure if I heard this story before but its to my liking....SHARING is so important and living in a loving community where everyone shares their gifts and abundance with all would be heaven on earth, no??

banaba wrote: My grandmother used to tell this story to my cousins and I when we were little. I loved it just because she told it, but now I love it because of the meaning behind it. Thank you for sharing! :-)

perseverance wrote: thanks I enjoyed this a great deal

mitu915 wrote: it's amazing how just a subtle shift in one's attitude can truly make a world of difference, as is illustrated so well through your lovely anecdote! thanks to you too for your generosity! :)

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