By Michael Avery
A footbridge near the source of the North Umpqua sent for an eagle. “Please carry this question to the bridge near the river’s mouth for me,” he requested.
“We have grown old together, yet our destinies have kept us apart. Please ask my friend what great lesson he has learned from life.”
The eagle flew with the wind, and soon lit on the great bridge near the mouth of the Umpqua. “Your friend, the footbridge near the river’s source, sends his regards. He has instructed me to ask you what great lesson you have learned from life.”
The bridge spoke to the eagle in a tone of importance. “Tell my friend this,” he commanded. “Long ago, in my youth, a wealthy merchant returned to his homeland from a distant country. He taught me a valuable lesson. In his possession were precious oils and fragrances, enough to fill a hundred clay vessels. Many merchants have followed in this man’s footsteps.
“Tell my friend this: ‘To gain wealth, one must not be afraid to leave home. Wealth may be measured by what has been sacrificed to gain it.’
“Now tell me,” he inquired, “how is my friend, the footbridge?”
“He is well,” answered the eagle, “and sends this message that I recount for you now in his own humble words:
“‘Once, in my youth, a man passed by at the end of his journey. He had nothing left but a gold-colored vessel, for as he had traveled, he’d given all he owned to the poor along the way. When he laid his empty vessel at my feet, he told me this: “Our true home is far away, and often we must sacrifice all we own to reach it.”
“Few have traveled in this man’s footsteps,” observed the footbridge, “although many years have passed since that fateful day. From him I learned this: ‘The true measure of a man is in the amount he holds to give, not in the amount he holds to gain.’”
from Porcupines at the Dance by Michael Harrington, pp. 115-116.
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