A friend of mine shared this little article with me, and I wanted to pass it along. I tried to find the original author and didn’t have any luck. There are several names associated with this story, as well as variations of the story itself, so I’m clueless. If someone knows the original author – by all means let me know so we can credit them.

LESSONS FROM A PENCIL

The pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting it into the box.
“There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the great world,” he said. “Always remember these five things and you will be one great pencil:

ONE: You are capable of many great things but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone’s hand.

TWO: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time but you’ll need it to be a better pencil.

THREE: You have the ability to correct the mistakes you make.

FOUR: The important part of you will always be what’s inside.

FIVE: On every surface where you are used, reglardless of its condition or yours, you will leave a mark.”

I thought this was a neat analogy of our life, and it gave me great food for thought that I just had to share with you.
Tracie