Stone Soup

Remember the story of Stone Soup? I just read it tonight to my 4-year-old.

If you don't know the story, I will recap. Three soldiers are travelling home and have had nothing to eat for two days. They come to a village and plan to ask for food and a bed to sleep in. As small villages go, word got around quickly that there were soldiers on the way, and they conspired to hide their food because soldiers had a reputation for eating what wasn't theirs. At every house, the soldiers heard good excuses as to why there was nothing to share. Bad harvest. Hadn't eaten in two days. Too many mouths to feed. Saving the grain for planting. These wise soldiers suggested boiling water with three stones to make stone soup. This piqued the villagers curiosity. That was something they'd be interested in knowing about. After the pot and some stones were found and a fire was roaring, they imagined out loud how much better the soup would be if they only had a couple of carrots. Lo and behold, one woman thought she had some, and she returned with an apron full. Then, oh, how it would be with cabbage, and then some barley, and on and on, until the villagers were tricked opening into their cupboards to make an entire feast. Suddenly the soldiers were geniuses and given the best beds in town.

I think our world could use this kind of sharing and community right now. Between the economy, government policies changing at the speed of light, lost jobs, health crises, winter, illness, death, and feelings of hopelessness, it feels like we need some old-fashioned stone soup!

I'm not talking the government kind either. I'm talking about the true heart-to-heart sharing that takes place in homes, neighborhoods, extended families, communities.

I had a conversation recently and the other person expressed great concern about how the economy and harsh winter weather may be affecting local people, older folks on fixed incomes, younger folks who have lost jobs. Are they eating? Are they warm? Maybe you don't think of these problems often. Maybe you do. My personality is geared toward thinking about social problems, world wide and locally. Although I don't seem to put my worries to rest by acting often enough, I agreed wholeheartedly with my co-worker. How do we know if our neighbors are all right?

Pride, we figured, often gets in the way of people asking for help. Are people housebound? Do they even know the name of the agency to call? I don't know about other states, but Maine has had major budget cuts in recent years, and social services has taken a huge hit. I suggested that someone needs to go door to door to make sure people are alright. We concluded that looking each to his own neighbors and family is the place to start.

In my area, churches still hold pot lucks, bean suppers (a Saturday night Maine favorite from my grandparents' days), and community dinners open to all. 

What about a stone soup dinner? What can you bring to the pot? What can you share that will make life a little better for someone else and, in the long run, benefit yourself?