Lessons on Life
Once upon a time, there was a family with four children. The parents wanted their children to learn not to judge things too quickly. So they sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

Their eldest child went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, the parents called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first child said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second child said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third child disagreed and said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last child disagreed with all of them and said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The parents then explained to their children that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

They told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall.

Moral:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches.