A Tree of Four Seasons
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted
his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. Therefore, 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 youngest son in the 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, and 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 with fruit, 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 whom 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.
The moral of the story:
If you give up when it is winter, you will miss the promise of
your spring, the beauty of your summer, and fulfillment of your
fall.
Do not let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the
rest. Do not judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are
sure to come some time or later.
