Friday, January 6, 2017

A Mouse Story

This is not what I originally had prepared for today's post, but when my dear friend shared it on facebook, I knew I wanted to share it with you.  Even though it's written in a 'cute' way, it's still a great lesson that made me realize we're all on this journey together.


A Mouse Story


A mouse looked through the crack in the wall...
To see the farmer and his wife open a package.
"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered.
He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard,
The mouse proclaimed this warning :
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"


The chicken clucked and scratched,
Raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse,
I can tell this is a grave concern to you,
But it is of no consequence to me.
I cannot be bothered by it."


The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said,
"I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse,
But there is nothing I can do about it.
Be assured you are in my prayers."


The mouse turned to the cow and said,
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you,
But it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house,
Head down and dejected,
To face the farmer's mousetrap... Alone...

That very night
A sound was heard throughout the house
-- the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it.


It was a venomous snake
Whose tail was caught in the trap.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
When she returned home she still had a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever
With fresh chicken soup.


So, the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard
For the soup's main ingredient:
But his wife's sickness continued.

Friends and neighbors
Came to sit with her
Around the clock.
To feed them,
The farmer butchered the pig.

But, alas,
The farmer's wife did not get well...
She died.

So many people came for her funeral
That the farmer had the cow slaughtered
To provide enough meat for all of them
For the funeral luncheon.
And the mouse looked upon it all
From his crack in the wall
With great sadness.

So, the next time you hear
Someone is facing a problem
And you think it doesn't concern you,

Remember ---
When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another


And make an extra effort
To encourage one another.

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
Martin Luther King, Jr.


Linking with Deb at Breathing In Grace


Until Next Time

I wondered why somebody didn't do something.
Then I realized, I am somebody.




11 comments:

  1. This is just simply awesome and eye opening and heart convicting. Thanks for sharing, my sweet friend. Hope you're feeling better and have a great weekend!

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  2. Absolutely an amazing story with such a wonderful lesson. How many times do we hear "It's not my problem." But if we help with it how might it change someone's life because we took a moment to care.

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  3. Oh you stepped on my toes, Mary, and the sore ones too! I'm sure we have all said that at one time or another. Yes, we should be willing to help even if it isn't our problem for we would appreciate help when we are in need.
    Good reminder. Thanks.

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  4. OUch! This made me cry! Perhaps because we passed some different kinds of travelers on the road today and I actually spoke to my hubby about how thankful I was that Good Samaritans had helped our son so many times in a lot of his journeys...and I had said again how I would never pick up a hitchhiker after we passed a very odd looking man with a long red beard and a big backpack, and someone was actually picking him up along the road...and I still think my thought is wise...not to pick up a hitch hiker...but then again, I am thankful for those who picked up MY son when he needed a ride...so...this story makes me think about that, and a tear ran down my face. Thank you for this. I probably still won't pick up a hitch hiker, but I might be more compassionate than I have been before...and I whispered a prayer of thanks for those who were brave enough to help our son...and that he was safe in their care. Angels watching over him in so many instances....

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  5. Yes. A sobering post about "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," while doing nothing much.

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  6. An excellent analogy for today's important lesson! Happy weekend!

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  7. What a thought provoking story. Sometimes, if something doesn't seem to directly affect us, we get very complacent.

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  8. Ah....THAT was very moving. Makes you think.

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  9. That is cute and very thought provoking poem...gives me much to think about!

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