I do not know where I first read this or who wrote it. But it has always stuck with me, so I share it with you now.

Blessings.

The Wise Woman and The Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone
in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and
the wise woman opened her bag to share her food.

The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman if she
could give it to him. She did so without hesitatin. The traveler left,
rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give
him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the
stone to the wise woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it
back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious.
Please give me what you had within you that enabled you to give me the
stone.”