cracked pot
お友達が送ってくれました。An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hungon the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other potwas perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked potwas ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitterfailure,it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are,there would not be this beauty to grace the house." Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.---------------コレを送ってくれた友達とは、30年のおつきあいです。彼女はとても厳しい家で育ったのでいつも劣等感がありました。完ぺき主義で、彼女の家はいっつもぴかぴか、彼女はいつもダイエットしてそれはきれいな方です。ところが完ぺき主義がきつくて、5人のご主人と別れたり結婚したりして今では、最初のだんなさんと再婚されました。 私たちが鏡でみる自分と神様が見る私たちはまったく違うとつくづく思います。短所だと思い込んでる面は神様が愛らしいと思って与えてくださったチャームポイントだと思います。あなたは神様がすばらしく作ってくださった尊い人です。今日も自分を大切にしてください。