Getting the Story Straight

Bed and breakfasts are so much fun!

I went to Indianapolis for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ conference in Indianapolis last week and stayed at a charming B & B that was constructed back in 1901. Built in the Craftsman style of the late Victorian period, the Stone Soup Inn featured the charm of yesteryear and the solid feel of having stood the test of time.

In that era, bright colors in vivid and intricate patterns were vogue. Houses with all the "gingerbread" fancy woodwork often would wear four or five wildly different colors and are known as "painted ladies." Each room in the inn is different--a calming blue room with portraits, loft rooms with beds under the peaks of the roof, an airy breakfast room, a rich melon-and-white music room with a baby grand piano. I stayed in the Victorian room with the colorful, intricate stenciling on the walls and even the ceiling! Wondrous antique portraits hung on the walls.

I heard the Stone Soup story for the first time while volunteering in my son’s Kindergarten class. The characters were all animals. The innkeeper told me she’d read a book where there were all pigs. Jim Peterson tells me his version involved Civil War soldiers. It didn’t take long for me to hear they were Napoleanic soldiers. Or a beggar at a king’s gate. Or a stranger who traveled to a new village… Or a monk… or a tramp… For Pete’s sake, in some countries, it’s not a stone: it’s a nail or an axe! Could someone please get the story straight?

In a nutshell, the tale revolves around someone who shows up in a new location. Hungry and without food, he pulls out a cauldron, boils water and drops in a stone. Someone asks what he’s making. “Stone soup. But it would taste better if there were a little cabbage…” One by one, more people come along. Each adds something—a little beef or a bone, seasoning herbs, carrots, an onion, etc. Finally, they all sit down together and have delicious stone soup. The stranger saves his stone so he can repeat the event again.

Delightful, isn’t it? In the end, it didn’t matter whether it’s a monk, a warrior or a tramp. The heart of the story doesn’t change if it’s nail soup or stone soup. Everyone gives what little he has, and through cooperation they accomplish what none could do alone—they make a satisfying meal and have a good time.

We all have something to add or give or a way to serve God and one another. Jesus is the Rock of Ages—and His hands are nail scarred. So whether it’s stone soup or nail soup, welcome! We need you. THAT is the story--straight and true.

So what are you bringing?
Love,

Cathy