To Love and Be Loved Is the Greatest Gift

The Traveler Once upon a time a traveler walked the earth.
He had no shoes upon his feet and no food to eat. He knew not from day to day, from where his next meal would come, but always knew that it would.

Each morning the traveler would walk the same path and see different people going about their life.

Each day he took the time to help someone going through tragedy or pain and made an effort to always smile, even when hunger pangs would be all his body felt.

One day while walking down the same road, the traveler came across an angry mob, ready to engage in battle with each other.

Why? asked the traveler, are you fighting among one another? What can be the problem, the traveler asked himself.

.
There was no reply.
Across the way the traveler could here a young boy crying in the distance so he walked so see what he could do to dry up the tears of the lad.
The traveler asked the young boy the source of his tears and the boy replied that the war was being waged among his brothers of whom would receive the prize of visiting the King's castle.
The prize was being given to the person whom displayed honor, courage and dignity and was the most honorable of awards. But something had happened on the way that caused the young men to feel the desire for the prize so deeply, that they would turn against their own family.
The traveler continued talking with the young boy whose tears were now subsiding.
The young boy informed the traveler that the boys at war were his brothers and each had gathered an army to help defend them in the battle to visit the kings castle.

The traveler learned that the boy's father was killed some years earlier and that their mother was the only person in their life providing love. No man had tried to take the place of their earthly father, nor shown them the love of a father. As the traveler listened to the young boy, an angel sat behind them.

Knowing that the only reason there was a war among brothers, was that there was not enough love in the home, the Angel spoke to the traveler and gently whispered "oh dear traveler, this boy and his brothers need love".
Gently taking the boy by the arm the traveler simply said, my son you are loved by me and I will be your father. I love you little one. The boy stood to his feet as the mighty David to Goliath and proclaimed, "ENOUGH!" in a thunderous voice loud enough to silence the fight.

Our earthly father is no longer here and he loved us.
He would not want us to fight among ourselves. The traveler said he would be our father and that he would give us the love we miss from our father being gone.
The battling brothers began to drop their weapons.

He loves us all and will be our father. The boys began to sob now.

Here, said the young boy, meet your new father But when he turned back the traveler was gone. The waging brothers began to see that all they really wanted was love.

The traveler had shown them an unconditional love that they had not felt since their father died.

It was only the need to be loved that caused them to battle.

Love stopped the war. Love reunited the brothers.
The ability to love and be loved is the greatest gift anyone could give.

This holiday season take a moment to see that the gift of love can change a life forever.