There is an old Polish legend about a very bad old woman who died, and as you
would expect, went to Hell. The story says Hell is a great deep pit, of which you can
see the top from the bottom (I don’t know—haven’t been there). The old woman didn’t
like it and tried to attract the attention of angels flying above at the top. One went to
see what he could do. “Have you ever done a good deed?” he asks. At last she thinks
of when she gave a carrot to a beggar. The angel goes away and comes back with the
carrot. If it holds, he can pull her out. Many people cling to her feet and are being
pulled out with her. She kicks and struggles. At last she shouts, “Let go! You don’t have
this carrot. It’s mine.” At that word “mine” the carrot broke in two and they all fell
back down to the bottom of the pit. Let this year not be one of failure but of success
with God, even if it be invisible, because we are not keeping God’s gift to ourselves but
giving it away wherever we can.
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