We all experience disappointment and even tragedy in our lives. At such times it is difficult not to give in to grief and become paralyzed. But have we ever thought that there is a cure for sorrow available to all of us?

Long ago in China, there was a young woman who married a wealthy man's son. She was gentle and kind and brought happiness to their home. With time, she and her husband were blessed with a son. But their joy was not to last. Soon the boy was taken ill and died. The woman was overcome with grief. From door to door she went asking her neighbors, is there no medicine, no magic, that will bring my son back to life? Seeing that she has lost her senses, they sent her to a man known for his wisdom.

"Do you have some medicine that will bring my son back to me? She asked him to.

" I will need a handful of mustard seeds, was the answer.

Elated, the woman promised to bring it immediately. But then the wise man said, "These seeds must be taken from a house that has never known sorrow. I will use them to cure your grief?

So the woman went off in search of the magical mustard seed. Knocking on the door of a beautiful mansion, she thought that surely she had come to the right place. Here is some mustard seed, the people inside said. Take it. It's yours. But when asked if their home had ever known sorrow, they told her, please don't remind us of our sadness. As she heard them recount the story of the terrible things that had recently happened to them, she was moved to tears.

Should not I, who have also known sorrow, stay and comfort these people? She asked herself. She remained with them for a while and then began her search again. But nowhere, not in the cities or the town, or on the plain, could she find a place that had not been touched by grief. And she became so busy helping others that, in the end, she forgot about her search for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that she had found the cure for sorrow.

We should all visit the sick. When they are in sorrow and suffering it is a real help and benefit to have a friend come. Happiness is a great healer to those who are ill. Abdul Baha

A Story About Abdul

A Baha'i visited Abdul Baha in the Holy Land. Abdul Baha asked her to visit a poor, sick man whom he had been helping. Take him food, He said. Care for him as I have been doing. He told her where to find the sick man.

She went, but she returned quickly and said, Master, surely you cannot realize to what a terrible place you sent me. I ran away before I got sick.

Abdul Baha looked at her sadly and said, " If you want to serve God, you must first serve mankind. He told her to go back. If the house is dirty, clean it, if a person is not clean, wash him, if he is hungry, feed him. Many times has Abdul Baha done this, cannot you serve him even once?

The following quotation of Abdul Baha sheds more light on the concept of this article.

Happy the soul that shall forget his good, and like the chosen ones of God, vie with his fellows in service to the good of all.

Kindness to Animals

The Baha'i writing encourages parents to educate their children to be kind to animals. If an animal is hungry, it should be fed. If an animal is thirsty, it should be given something to drink. If an animal is tired, it should be allowed to rest. If an animal is sick, it should be made well.

Harmful animals such as poisonous snakes are not included because being kind to them may bring harm to man and other animals.

The story of Otieno saw his little brother start to throw a stone at the cat. Otieno called to his brother and said, Don't throw that stone. We should always be kind to animals because God made them and they help us. His little brother looked at him and asked, How do they help us? Otieno pointed to the cat and said, The cat kills rats and mice that eat our maize. The dog barks loudly at night to protect us. The cows give us milk. The oxen plow our fields. We should take care of our animals. We should give them water and food. If they are tired, we should let them rest. We should care for them when they are sick.