~

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots,
each hung on the ends of a pole which she
carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the
other pot was 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 pot was 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 bitter
failure, 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.

~

Yes! We are a bunch of cracked pots!