Stories of care...

At our adult study last night, we were talking about caring for one another and the importance of caring for even the least of us.  These two poems came to mind:

Poem by Martin Niemöller.
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Unknown Author:

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

But pray..

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.