The Legend of the Water Vessel

Original author unknown. Retold by Melinda Poling.

A lady owned two water pots. She walked miles each day to carry water home from a distant stream. In time, one of the vessels cracked. Each time the woman carried the heavy water vessels, the cracked pot leaked.

One day, the broken water vessel could bear it no longer. “Please, use only the perfect vessel. I am badly cracked and of no use to you anymore. I leak more than half the water before we reach home.”

“Oh,” said the woman softly. “I knew you were broken. That’s why I planted all those flower seeds for you to water along our journey home.” She pointed to a wide display of vibrant flowers along the otherwise dusty trail.

The pot wanted to weep.

“You see,” the woman caressed the pot, “I can use even broken vessels for my purposes.”