The cracked pot.

A water bearer in China had
two large pots, each hung on
the ends of a pole which he
carried across his neck.
One pot had a crack in it,
while the other pot was
perfect and always delivered
a full portion of water. At the
end of the long walk from the
stream to the house, the
cracked pot arrived only half
full.
For a full two years this went
on daily, with the bearer
delivering only one and a
half pots full of water to his
house.
Of course, the perfect pot
was proud of its
accomplishments, perfect for
which it was made. But the
poor cracked pot was
ashamed of its own
imperfection, and miserable
that it was able to accomplish
only half of what it had been
made to do.
After 2 years of what it
perceived to be a bitter
failure, it spoke to the water
bearer one day by the
stream...
"I am ashamed of myself,
because this crack in my side
causes water to leak out all
the way back to your house."
The bearer said to the pot,
"Did you notice that there
were flowers only on your
side of the path, but not on
the other pot's side? That's
because I have always
known about your flaw, and I
planted flower seeds on your
side of the path. Every day
while we walk back, you've
watered them. For two years
I have been able to pick
these beautiful flowers to
decorate the table. Without
you being just the way you
are, there would not be this
beauty to grace the house."
Moral: Each of us has our
own unique flaws. We're all
cracked pots. But it's the
cracks and flaws we each
have that make our lives
together so very interesting
and rewarding. You've just
got to take each person for
what they are, and look for
the good in them.