Saturday, September 1, 2007

SEASONS

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the fourth in fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping withfruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time .
The following pictures are of the same place but taken during different seasons :



14 comments:

meggie said...

What a wonderful post! I love those photos, did you take them?
How beautiful.

ancient one said...

No... sorry... I found these forwarded in an email. I should have printed copied... at the bottom...:(

Paula said...

I love this story and the pictures are really pretty. What great sentiments and something we all need to be reminded of from time to time. Thanks for sharing!

Melanie said...

Great photo persprective...

Jess said...

Those are beautiful! I've often thought I should take pictures of some of our trees day after day, just to record them...
Ahhh. Maybe someday.

Donna's chitchat said...

I love your message. It is so true. And a great thing to keep in mind.

Willow said...

So true! And something for me to keep in mind right now! The forsythia in the spring photo--what a spot of joy!

mreddie said...

Good story and an excellent moral - enjoyed the pictures also. ec

Tammy said...

What a lovely parable and the pictures are fantastic!
Happy Labor Day to you and yours!
:)

Little Penpen said...

What a nice story! Love it and truly something to ponder. I've always thought it would be cool to take a picture of something that is "personal" to us during each season and frame them.

Kara said...

thanks for a fantastic post, this came me for me today when I was struggling with some thoughts and its given me a new lease on them.
kara
x

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Those pictures are beautiful and that wonderful story has a great message.

Manuela

~Jennifer said...

What a wonderful message, and the pictures are lovely!

Trudi said...

Oh I just love the same photo taked during the different seasons. I think I must copy. Now for the spot...