According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen（水壶） so he could bring some back to a tribal¹ elder who had been his teacher. 

 

After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly²（丰富地） for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart. 

 

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat³ it out, saying it was awful. It apparently⁴ had become stale（不新鲜的） because of the old leather container.

 

The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul⁵. Why did you pretend to like it?"

 

The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."

 

I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic⁶（陶瓷的） tray or a macaroni bracelet⁷, the natural and proper response is appreciation⁸ and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.

 

Gratitude⁹ doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied¹⁰ in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.

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