A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
~ Saint Basil
There’s an apple tree in my yard and this year it looks like it might actually produce some fruit. I know it’s capable, evidenced by a pile of dried up apples some industrious squirrel hid under the house at some point in the last century. Whether those apples will be sweet or sour depends on the specific type of tree, the seasonal conditions, when the fruit is harvested, and when it’s consumed. One thing holds consistently true, however: if the tree produces bad fruit year after year, it’s probably a bad tree.
People aren’t much different.
The bad news is that we can’t change the kind of fruit other people produce. We can only “know them by their fruits.”
The good news is that we do have the power to change the kind of fruit we produce in our own lives. We can make adjustments to our actions and attitudes that will improve the quality of fruit we produce.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
