Brother Weeps said, “I had a dear friend and teacher whose name was Brother Po. When I first met him, I asked, “Brother, your name, is it short for anything?”

“Yes,” said Brother Po. “Po is short for poor. When I was given my religious name, my abbot said, ‘Remember, even of poverty be a little less than perfect.’”

♦ ♦ ♦

Hearing this story, a woman turned to Sister Mahala and asked, “Sister Mahala, is Mahala short for anything?”

“Nothing much,” said Sister. “Patience and tolerance, now and then. Goat’s milk sometimes.”

All Rights Reserved. Dan Miller, © 2019.