Generosity and Courage

Here are a few more little tidbits that caught my eye...

A monk who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day he met another traveler who was hungry, and the monk opened his bag to share his food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone in the monk's bag, admired it, and asked the monk to give it to him. The monk did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the jewel was worth enough to give him security for the rest of his life.

But a few days later he came back, searching for the monk. When he found him, he returned the stone and said, "I have been thinking. I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back to you in the hope that you can give me something much more precious. If you can, give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

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A little girl was near death, victim of a disease from which her younger brother had miraculously recovered two years before. Her only chance to live was a blood transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the sickness. The doctor explained the situation to Tommy, the five-year-old brother, and asked if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister, Kathy.

The boy took a deep breath, thought for a moment, then drew himself up and said, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save my sister."

As the transfusion progressed one could see the vitality returning to the wan figure of the little girl. Tommy smiled when he observed this, but then, with trembling lips he said something startling.

"Will I begin to die right away?" he asked.

The doctor realized immediately what Tommy's hesitation had meant earlier. In giving blood to his sister, he thought he was giving up his life! In one brief moment he had displayed more courage than most of us can muster in a lifetime. He had made a heroic decision!