In which I share a story gift: "Two Brothers" (give it to a loved one!)
I got this story many, many years ago from storyteller Eric Kimmel. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Two Brothers
A long time ago, and far away from here, there lived two brothers.
The elder brother lived at the north end of the farm with his family: his wife and many children.
The younger brother lived at the south end of the farm. He lived all alone, for he had no wife and no children.
These brothers lived at opposite ends of their farm, and together they worked the land, plowing, planting, tending, and harvesting the grain. The harvest was sacked and shared evenly between the brothers, and each man stored his half of the grain in his own barn.
One night the younger brother woke suddenly from a sound sleep and thought to himself, "What have I done?
"My brother has a wife and children to support. How unfair of me to take half of the harvest!"
To this brother, thought was the same as action.
He got dressed in the middle of the night, went to his barn, and carried a bag of his own grain through the dark fields to the barn of his brother.
There, unseen by anyone, the younger brother left the bag of grain, and resolved to bring another bag of grain each night to help feed his brother's family.
That same night, the elder brother woke from a sound sleep and thought to himself, "What have I done?
"I have a wife and children to love and comfort me, but my younger brother has no family at all. How unfair of me to take half the harvest!"
To this brother, thought was the same as action.
He went to his barn that night and carried a bag of his own grain to the barn of his brother, resolving to bring another bag of grain to his brother for each night thereafter.
Night after night. Week after week. For more than a year, each brother would rise silently in the night to carry a bag of his own grain to the barn of the other.
Until, of course, one night they ran into each other in the dark, both carrying bags of grain.
They stopped right there and laughed at themselves.
Then they woke up the elder brother's family, and everyone laughed.
Years later, when the village wanted to build a new church, the site they selected was the very place where the brothers had met in the night.
For where else would they find a more holy place?
Two Brothers
A long time ago, and far away from here, there lived two brothers.
The elder brother lived at the north end of the farm with his family: his wife and many children.
The younger brother lived at the south end of the farm. He lived all alone, for he had no wife and no children.
These brothers lived at opposite ends of their farm, and together they worked the land, plowing, planting, tending, and harvesting the grain. The harvest was sacked and shared evenly between the brothers, and each man stored his half of the grain in his own barn.
One night the younger brother woke suddenly from a sound sleep and thought to himself, "What have I done?
"My brother has a wife and children to support. How unfair of me to take half of the harvest!"
To this brother, thought was the same as action.
He got dressed in the middle of the night, went to his barn, and carried a bag of his own grain through the dark fields to the barn of his brother.
There, unseen by anyone, the younger brother left the bag of grain, and resolved to bring another bag of grain each night to help feed his brother's family.
That same night, the elder brother woke from a sound sleep and thought to himself, "What have I done?
"I have a wife and children to love and comfort me, but my younger brother has no family at all. How unfair of me to take half the harvest!"
To this brother, thought was the same as action.
He went to his barn that night and carried a bag of his own grain to the barn of his brother, resolving to bring another bag of grain to his brother for each night thereafter.
Night after night. Week after week. For more than a year, each brother would rise silently in the night to carry a bag of his own grain to the barn of the other.
Until, of course, one night they ran into each other in the dark, both carrying bags of grain.
They stopped right there and laughed at themselves.
Then they woke up the elder brother's family, and everyone laughed.
Years later, when the village wanted to build a new church, the site they selected was the very place where the brothers had met in the night.
For where else would they find a more holy place?
Lovely - and my you and yours have an excellent holiday!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family!
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