Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Stone Soup Blessing

  Waking, I stretch and enjoy the sensation of feeling rested . . . feeling good.  And feeling rested..  Such a lovely way to wake up.  

“Good Morning, God. So glad to be here.  So glad to feel like me.  In fact, if I could always feel like “me” til it’s time to go, what a blessing.  In fact, that’s blessing enough.”

“Yes, feeling good – no aches or pains – no ‘funny’ feelings in my head or wherever it is they show up from time to time  – that would be enough.  Enough blessing in my life.  Well, that . . .  And maybe having enough money to pay my bills.  Yes, feeling like me and having money to pay my bills.  That’s enough blessing. That's all I need.”

“And . . . “

And then I start to smile remembering a story from my childhood.  From a book my mom read to me when I was young, like 3-8, maybe.  A story from The How and Why Library; My Story Book.  A story called 'Stone Soup.'

Betcha no one reading this has ever heard of that story . . .  or these books.

I say books because the How and Why Library consisted of 5 hard cover books –

My Hero Book, My Nature Book, My Knowledge Book, My Travel Book, and My Story Book.

Both the Hero and Story Book contained stories for children pre-school through maybe sixth grade (at that time, anyway).

These were the two books from that library that my mom read to me from most often.  

My Hero Book was divided into sections called: Holiday Stories, Great Men, Character Building Stories, Health and Thrift Stories, Selected Stories, Dramatizations, Bible Stories, and Other Lands and Peoples.

Stories like The Secret of Mrs. Santa and Skeesix, The Truthful Little Persian, The Fox Who Lost His Tail, stories about Charles Lindbergh, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Moses, the Law Giver, Happy Face, the Indian Boy, and others.

I still have four of the five books.  Only My Story book is missing.  How and Why I do not know. (Pun intended)   

Full of stories and poems.  She, and then I, read it the most.  I wish I could find another copy.

I WILL find a copy.  I think.  Oh, yes, it’s available on Amazon.com.  Yeay!

And that's all I need . . .


* * * * * * * * * *
The Original Stone Soup Story

The original stone soup story was first published in English in London in 1808. The author is Robert Moser. Stone Soup is classified by folklorists as a Stone Soup is an Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1548 folktale. That is a folktale in the “clever man” category. 
    
In Moser’s version of the story he emphasizes the traveler’s social skills. Tired, hours on the road and hungry he nonetheless starts out the conversation with the woman at the farmhouse with small talk. When he finally gets around to asking for the pot and explaining about how he will make stone soup he does so in the way of a performer — “If you will lend me a small pot,” said the Traveler, “I’ll show you.” 

And I think that is way the stone soup story always ends up on a happy note. The traveler, the tramp, the soldier, whoever it is who needs to eat but only has a stone knows how to entertain! And the soup is always so good! If you are interested in the full history of the stone soup story, and its first publication 1720 by he French journalist, Madame de Noyer, please look at our stone soup history here.

— http://www.stonesoup.com/history-of-the-stone-soup-story-from-1720-to-now/

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