Did you ever read the child’s book “Stone Soup” to your kids? I used to read it to mine all the time. The story I read goes like this ~ two little pigs were walking along. They were getting tired and hungry when they came to a village. The pigs decided to stop to find a place to sleep and something to eat. They assumed the villagers would be kind and generous, helping the travelers find what they needed. What the two pigs found, though, was a village full of mean and stingy characters. They hid all their food, closed all their shops and kept all of their provisions to themselves, telling the little pigs to “GO AWAY!” The pigs eventually won the villagers over with their willingness to share their “Stone Soup” with them. The pigs went to make a pot of “soup” with only stones, telling the villagers it was a special recipe they would be happy to share with them. As a result, the villagers started bringing their own ingredients to add to the little pigs’ soup. The end of the book shows the pigs being hailed as heroes and the villagers all coming together to throw a party for the pigs ~ serving the soup and being amazed at the deliciousness of a soup made “only” of stones.

I was reminded of this story this morning as I walked along the beach with a friend. We were talking about inspirational books when my friend started talking about a series of books by Jon Gordon. One of the book titles she mentioned was “Soup.” The book is about using the right ingredients needed to build a successful management team and it reminded me of reading “Stone Soup” to my kiddos.

The story of “Stone Soup” mixed with the message of Jon Gordon’s book “Soup” reminded me this morning of the importance of making sure Stan and I use the right “ingredients” to help our kiddos become the best they can be as they grow up and learn to navigate the waters of life. It’s up to us to determine what the right ingredients are ~ Kindness, compassion, caring, generousity, joy, patience, goodness, self-control, love, peace ~ Many of these “ingredients” are also the fruits of the spirit ~ nourishing the soul as well. Hopefully, through the lessons learned in the “Stone Soup” and passing on the fruits of the spirit I can make sure my kiddos learn the importance of sharing and teach them to use the right “ingredients” themselves as they grow.

The the poem from the book is cute and worth sharing…

Heat some water in a pot.

Add some stones you’ve scrubbed a lot.

Sprinkle pepper, salt and herbs.

Let it boil undisturbed.

Drop in carrots, onions, too.

Let the soup heat through and through.

Stir in milk to make it sweet.

Add potatoes for a treat.

Toss in meat cubes. Let it stew.

Let it bubble, let it brew.

Taste the soup and when it’s done,

Share Stone Soup with EVERYONE!

ENJOY!

Oh, for the love of my children…