The World of Grandpa Don

We save the best for ... what?

In a parable, titled "Old Wine, Old Wine", Kahlil Gibran relates the story of a rich man who owned a very old and expensive bottle of wine. As visitors came to his home, he decide they were not special enough to share the bottle with them. Not the governor, not the bishop and not the prince of the realm. The wine was even too precious to be opened on the occasion of his nephew's wedding.

The rich man became old and died with the old bottle of wine still in his cellar.  On the day he was laid in the ground, the old bottle was brought out with the rest and shared with the peasants of the town. To them it was just wine.

This story, that Gibran tells in it's Middle East setting and his unique style, explains why I try to be generous to my family and others. It is one of the lessons that took me too long to learn. ... Share while we can enjoy the sharing.

Grandpa Don
7/21/00