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An old Arabic legend tells of several wanderers who
were sitting around a campfire in the arid desert. The
evening sky was ablaze with stars and a huge moon danced
behind wispy clouds. As they ate the tender lamb that
roasted and sizzled on a spit over the fire, they were
suddenly engulfed in a cocoon of light. It was brighter than
the moon and stars, or even the sun. Sensing that they were
surrounded by a celestial presence, they shook with fear,
anticipating what deed might be asked of them. From the
auroral mist swirling between them, a voice spoke. ???Gather
as many pebbles as you can carry in your saddlebags. Travel
for one day and when the sun sets, you will find both great
joy and great sadness.???
The wanderers were sorely disappointed.
They had expected to hear a marvelous work and wonder, or be
given some task to prove their worthiness. Instead, they had
only been asked to gather pebbles. Unsure of the reasons,
they did as commanded. Each picked up a handful of pebbles
and dropped them into the saddlebags.
When the sun rose over the horizon, it
sent golden rays across the desert. The men, warmed by the
glowing orb, climbed onto their camels and set forth on
their journey. Night soon approached and they made camp. The
leather saddlebags had been removed from the camel??™s backs
and lay on the ground at their feet. What would they find
inside? The silence and solitude of the parched wilderness
enveloped them as they contemplated what they might
discover.? The bravest of the group reached into his bag and
pulled out the pebble in his clenched fist. His fingers
opened finger at a time. The wanderers gasped. In the palm
of his hand, instead of the dirty and speckled pebbles, he
found diamonds. They sparkled in the moonlight. Each was
exquisite, with a crystal beauty.
As the others opened their saddlebags,
shouts of wonder and amazement echoed across the vastness.
The wanderers felt great joy at the precious gems they held
in their hands, but they also felt sadness because of the
mistake they had made to not gather more pebbles the night
before.
???If only??¦??? How many times have we said
those words? How many times do we lose out on something
special and extraordinary because we fail to see the true
gifts we are being given? Do we fail to see a diamond in the
rough? At certain times in our lives, we find ourselves
afraid to take risks. Instead we are fearful, hesitant,
skeptical, or lazy.
The trials that creep into our lives,
especially the unexpected ones, should be looked upon as
blessings and ways to grow and develop into better human
beings. During our trials we often find ourselves wallowing
in self -pity and sadness, but if we reach into our
saddlebags of pebbles, we will pull out a diamond. Each
trial is a learning experience. It is a time to find our
inner strength and character and be our own hero. Years down
the road we will look back and discover that we are truly
grateful for the problems we encountered while walking down
the unsure path of life. Without them we wouldn??™t have the
qualities we need to make it through life and to endure to
the end.
When I was first divorced, my
ex-husband left me with nothing. During the latter part of
our marriage we had been quite well off financially. I
wanted for nothing. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted,
and I could buy anything I wanted. After the divorce, my
life changed drastically. I went from upper class to poverty
stricken. I had nothing. I had no furniture, no car and no
money. I had been a homemaker the entire time I was married
and suddenly found myself middle-aged, with no education and
suffering from the debilitating disease, rheumatoid
arthritis. I found a few jobs writing for magazines, but it
was only enough to barely survive. During this time I felt
overwhelmed. I felt life was unfair and that I didn??™t
deserve to have this happened. My ex-husband was the bad
guy, not me.
? There were many times when I had to
stretch the contents of one can of spaghetti, so it would
last for a week. Some nights I feasted on crackers. That was
a luxury. I could never afford to buy cheese, meat, or
butter ??“ things I had taken for granted as part of my daily
meals. It was difficult during those years. Many nights I
cried and wondered why God was making me go through things
like this. After all, I was trying my hardest to be a good
person.
Three years later, I can look back and
see the good that came from the ???suffering??™ I endured
immediately after my divorce. I learned to be a frugal
shopper. I learned that I didn??™t need knick-knacks,
expensive perfume, art, and jewelry, or a new outfit every
other day. Instead of driving a luxury car, I began walking.
Soon my legs were strong and noticed my rheumatoid arthritis
wasn??™t as painful. A whole new world opened before my eyes.
I didn??™t need all those things to be happy! I felt ashamed
for wasting so much money on things that weren??™t necessary.
? That first Christmas, I had little
money to buy gifts for my children and grandchildren. I was
also alone for the first time in my life. People rallied
around me and included me in their circles of friendship. My
neighbor owned a kiln and taught me how to make gingerbread
ornaments for my family. I cut the clay gingerbread men out
with cookie cutters. We put them in her kiln and then a few
days later I went back to her house and painted them. I was
so proud of those gingerbread men. I??™d made them all by
myself. The cost was minimal. I wrapped each gift with
wrapping paper I??™d drawn Christmas pictures on. I tied them
with red ribbon and I felt so proud. My family loved their
gifts of love from me. The next year, still in the same
situation financially, I drew a family tree for each of my
children. I put each of them with their spouse and children
sitting on a branch. I cried tears of joy when they told me
that of all the presents they??™d received for Christmas, that
family tree was the only gift that meant anything to them,
as it had been a gift from my heart.
I am remarried now and my financial
situation has greatly improved, but I don??™t forget the
lessons I learned from my trials. I??™m still making homemade
gifts for the holidays. I never buy costly jewelry or
perfume, or insignificant things that I don??™t need. When a
trial comes along in my life, I still gather pebbles and put
them into my saddlebag. Every time I drop one in, I smile,
knowing that a glittering diamond will be there waiting for
me when I reach for it.
(c) 2003 by Margo Fallis
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