More from Mary....

The Monk


A man's car broke down as he was driving past a beautiful old monastery. He
walked up the drive and knocked on the front door. A monk answered, listened
to the man's story and graciously invited him to spend the night.

The monks fed the man and led him to a tiny chamber in which to sleep. The
man thanked the monks and slept serenely until he was awakened by a strange
and beautiful sound.

The next morning, as the monks were repairing his car, he asked about the
sound that had woke him. "We're sorry," the monks said. "We can't tell you
about the sound. You're not a monk." The man was disappointed, but eager to
be gone, so he thanked the monks for their kindness and went on his way.

During quiet moments afterward, the man pondered the source of the alluring
sound. Several years later the man the man happened to be driving in the
same area. He stopped at the monastery on a whim and asked admittance. He
explained to the monks that he had so enjoyed his previous stay, he
wondered if he might be permitted to spend another night under their
peaceful roof. The monks agreed, and so the man stayed with them again.

Late that night, he heard the strange beautiful sound. The following morning
he begged the monks to explain the sound. The monks gave him the same answer
as before. "We're sorry. We can't tell you about the sound. You're not a
monk."

By now the man's curiosity had turned to obsession. He decided to give up
everything and become a monk, for that was the only way he could learn about
the sound. He informed the monks of his decision and began the long and
arduous task of becoming a monk. Seventeen years later, the man was finally
established as a true member of the order.

When the celebration ended, he humbly went to the leader of the order and
asked to be told the source of the sound. Silently, the old monk led the new
monk to a huge wooden door. He opened the door with a golden key. That door
swung open to reveal a second door of silver, then a third of gold and so on
until they had passed through twelve doors, each more magnificent than the
last.

The new monk's face was awash with tears of joy as he finally beheld the
wondrous source of the beautiful mysterious sound he had heard so many years
before...................
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But, I can't tell you what it was. You're not a monk.