The Ointment
A young woman, newly married, moved in with her husband and his mother. She found her new mother in law very critical of everything she did. Whatever she did, the older woman put her down, complained about her and generally made her feel like she had no value. Finally in desperation the young wife went to see the herbalist, a wise old woman who lived in the village. She opened her heart to the healer and begged for some potion that would kill her mother-in law off. The herbalist gave her an ointment and told her that she must rub it into the older women’s feet for half an hour a day for a month.
After three weeks the young daughter in law turned up at the healer’s house asking for an antidote. The mother in law had completely transformed and the two women had resolved all their differences and there was a lot of love and affection between them both. The healer smiled explaining that the herbs were harmless and that the loving attention the daughter in law had shown the elder woman was what had worked the miracle.
