Sun Rays. Joshua Livingston

the King said, “Beggar, give me your rice.”

      The beggar thought to himself in disgust, “What a selfish and greedy king. He has everything in the world that he could possible want and he asks for the food of a crippled beggar. But he does have the power to kick me out of the city. I can’t give this guy my food, but if I don’t . . .”

      He clutched his bowl to his belly and continued to look up at the King. A tear dropped from his eye. He really didn’t want to give up his rice, but out of fear, he reached into his bowl, grabbed three grains of rice, and gave them to the King. The King snapped his fingers, and an apprentice stepped out of the coach. He held in his hand three gold nuggets. He gently placed them on top of the beggar’s rice in his bowl. Then the King and his apprentice got back into the coach and pulled away.

      The beggar wept and wondered what would have happened had he just given the King his entire bowl of rice. Even in his poverty, he was not truly poor.

      (For D.D.)

      Trouble at St. Michael’s Farm

      St. Michael’s Farm was in bad shape. All of the animals that lived there were terribly unhappy. It all started when a drought hit the farm four years ago. The Farmer gave the animals water to drink, but it was in short supply, and it quickly became dirty. Flies became rampant, the heat was more than they could take, and the stench was unbearable.