Broken Vessels

Her tiny frame was almost indiscernible as she silently padded down the well-worn path through the forest, her feet making nary a sound. Her dull green attire blended well with her surroundings, but the only thing that gave her away was the beautiful, ivory-colored jar that she held protectively to her chest. 

It was a bit big for her tiny, thirteen-year-old body to carry, and it would become heavier once it was filled up with water, but she did not mind. Indeed, she would have not complained if assigned to travel twelve miles in the desert while carrying the jar, for it was her prized possession. 

It was only yesterday that her over-worked mother presented her with the jar as a birthday present. The gesture was made sweeter with the knowledge that they were extremely poor, yet her mother had worked twice as hard to purchase the expensive two-handled jar. It was a family tradition that marked the entrance into womanhood when a daughter was presented with her very own jar. Of course Hannah knew the tradition and was very excited upon reaching her thirteenth year, but she did not expect such a lovely jar to be handed to her in spite of their poverty. Why, she would have been content with one of the old, crumbling jars that bedecked the kitchen shelf. Yet, she was grateful to her mother and had promised to take great care of her gift. 

And now as she walked towards the river, her jar gleamed from time to time as it caught the rays of the early morning sun that managed to fight their way through the overhead cleavage. She was disappointed, though, upon arriving at the river and finding no one else, for she had wanted to show off her jar. 

She carefully dipped her jar into the water and filled it up, and just as carefully picked it up and balanced it on her head with one hand as she headed back to the village. 

The little maiden was half-way through the forest when she was startled by a viper in a nearby bush. In her fright, she fled, but her muddled brain was too preoccupied with escaping the viper's fangs that she did not see the rock jutting out of the earth. 

Her fall was painful, but she ignored her aches when her eyes beheld the jar, or what was left of it. It lay in many broken pieces scattered all around her wet body that had suffered an onslaught from the water's splash when the jar broke. Tears flowed then. The jar that her mother had toiled so hard for was broken! 

She was afraid of going back home, for surely her mother would question her about her empty hands, and she could not lie to her mother. She thought of how much her mother had spent on the jar - all in vain - and the disappointment she would feel. No, she could not go home yet, but what was she to do now? 

How long she sat on the road crying she did not know, but she finally raised her head at the sound of wooden wheels. She did not make an effort to move from the path, for the crying had drained her of strength. Presently, the traveler came into view pushing a wooden cart loaded with wood and tools. From his load and state of attire, she recognized him as a carpenter. 

It was with a jerk that the man noticed the little waif on the road, for his load had obscured his vision of the path. He immediately felt compassion for the girl after he took in her state. "Little girl, why do you cry?" he asked gently. 

Hannah explained between sobs what had happened to her. The man's eyes shone with compassion as he went to her. "Give me all the pieces, and I will mend your jar", he said. 

"But sir", she asked," I can see that you are a carpenter. How can you say that you will mend my jar while you are not a potter?" 

The man smiled at her question. "I am many things", he told her. "To some I am a Carpenter, to some a Potter; to some I am a Lion, to some a Lamb; to some I am a Brother, to some a King; to some I am nothing, and to some I am Everything. To some I am all of these put together, and much more." 

With that, he picked up all the broken pieces and headed towards the river, where he used the rich clay soil on the riverbank to fix the broken jar, making it look even better than before. Upon seeing it now, one would never had guessed that it had been shards a while ago.  

He then handed the jar to the girl saying, "There is no broken thing that I cannot fix, nor a broken heart that I cannot mend. If you will but give me all the pieces willingly, I will fix it for you, my daughter." 

With that he took his cart and disappeared around a bend in the path.