Many values pass us in life, some of which we learn from and some we don’t pay attention to. We might miss much if we don’t plant the best values and finest morals in our children, for the child is but a seedling we plant and reap its fruits. This story teaches us values like doing good and performing kindness, for what we do is what we reap.
It is told that there was a well-off woman who made bread for her family every day. She always made extra bread for any hungry passerby who passed by her. The woman used to put a loaf of bread on the windowsill for any passerby to take. Every day, a poor hunchbacked man would pass by her door, extend his hand, and take the loaf. Instead of showing gratitude for the woman’s generosity, he would murmur some words saying, “The evil you offer stays with you, and the good you offer returns to you.”
The situation remained like this. Every day the hunchback would pass, take the loaf of bread, and murmur the same words, “The evil you offer stays with you, and the good you offer returns to you!” The woman didn’t understand why the man did this, and she began to feel distressed at his not showing some gratitude or appreciation for the good and favor she did for him.
She began talking to herself, saying, “Every day the hunchback passes and repeats the same sentence and leaves. I wonder what he means by these words?” When her distress reached its peak, she plotted something in her mind and decided to carry it out. She said, “I’ll get rid of that man I did good to, but he didn’t respond to kindness with gratitude.” So she made the extra bread as usual, but this time she put some poison in it and was about to put it on the windowsill.
But her hand began to shake, and she threw the loaf far from her to burn in the fire. She said to herself, “What am I doing?” She made another loaf of bread and put it on the windowsill. When the hunchback came as usual, he took the loaf and left, murmuring the same words, “The evil you offer stays with you, and the good you offer returns to you!”
The man left safely, not realizing the extent of the struggle that had been in the woman’s mind. After that situation, the woman remained as she was, making bread every day. She used to pray for her son who had gone far away searching for his future. No news had reached her about him for many months. Every day she prayed God to return him to her safely. On that day when she got rid of the poisoned loaf of bread, the doorbell rang in the evening.
When the woman opened it, she was surprised to see her son standing at the door. His face was pale, showing signs of fatigue and exhaustion, his clothes were miserable and torn, and he appeared hungry and thirsty. When he saw his mother, he threw himself into her arms, saying, “It’s a miracle that I’m with you here now. Only a few miles from here, I was feeling extreme exhaustion and was on the verge of death were it not for a hunchbacked man passing by me. When he saw me in this condition, he gave me a full loaf of bread and told him it was his food for the day, but he would give it to me because my need was much greater than his.”
As soon as the mother heard these words, her face paled, and terror appeared on it. She leaned her back against the door, fearing she would fall. She remembered the poisoned loaf she had made for the hunchback that morning. If she had gotten rid of it in the fire, her son would have been the one to eat it and lose his life! At that moment only did the woman realize the meaning of the hunchback’s words: The evil you offer stays with you, and the good you offer returns to you.