A story tells of a merchant in a small town who had
identical twin sons. The boys worked for their father
in the department store he owned and,
when he Died, they took over the store.
Everything went well until the day a twenty-dollar bill
disappeared. One of the brothers had left the bill
on the cash register and walked outside with
A customer. When he returned, the money was gone.
He asked his brother, "Did you see that twenty-dollar bill
on the cash register?" His brother replied that he had not.
But the young man kept probing and Questioning.
He would not let it alone. "Twenty-dollar bills
just don't get up and walk away! Surely you must
have seen it!" There was subtle accusation
In his voice. Tempers began to rise. Resentment set in.
Before long, a deep and bitter chasm divided
the young men. They refused to speak.
They finally Decided they could no longer work together
and a dividing wall was built down
the center of the store. For twenty years hostility
and bitterness grew, Spreading to their
families and to the community.
Then one day a man in an automobile licensed in
another state stopped in front of the store.
He walked in and asked the clerk, "How long
have you been Here?" The clerk replied that
he'd been there all his life. The customer said,
"I must share something with you. Twenty years ago
I was 'riding the rails' and Came into this town in a boxcar.
I hadn't eaten for three days. I came into this store
from the back door and saw a twenty-dollar bill
on the cash register. I put it in my pocket and
walked out. All these years I haven't been able
to forget that. I know it wasn't much money,
but I had to come back and ask your Forgiveness."
The stranger was amazed to see tears well up in the eyes
of this middle-aged man. "Would you please go next door
and tell that same story to the man in The store?"
he said. Then the man was even more amazed to see
two middle-aged men, who looked very much alike,
embracing each other and weeping together
In the front of the store.
After twenty years, the brokenness was mended.
The wall of resentment that divided them came down.
Lesson to Learn from The Story
It is so often the little things - like resentments -
that finally divide people. And the solution,
of course, is to let them go. There is really nothing
Particularly profound about it. But for fulfilling
and lasting relationships, letting them go is a must.
Refuse to carry around bitterness and
you may Be surprised at how much energy you have left
for building bonds with those you love
Author Unknown
