The king's four wives

Once there was a king who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most and gave her riches, wealth, and the best of care. He also loved the third wife and showed her off to other nations and made her a very popular person. He also loved the second wife. She was always there for him, able to help him with his problems. Then there was the first wife. She loved the king very deeply but unfortunately the king never loved her back. As a result, the first wife was lonely and neglected.

One day the king became ill and knew that he would soon die. He thought of his life and his four wives and thought, “When I die I will be all alone!” He then went desperately to his fourth wife and said, “I have loved you deeply and have bestowed on you riches, wealth and honor. Now that I am about to die, will you follow and keep me company?” The fourth wife instantly said, “No,” and walked away. This struck the king very hard. He then went to his third wife and said, “I have loved you, bragged about you to other nations and have made you a very popular person. Now that I am about to die, will you follow and keep me company?” The third wife replied, “No! Life is too good. When you die I will just remarry.” This once again struck the king very deeply to his heart. He then turned to his second wife and said, “You have been a wonderful companion and have always helped me with my problems. Now that I am about to die, will you follow and keep me company?” The second wife replied, “I am very sorry but I cannot help you this time. I have my own life to lead. The farthest I can go with you is to your graveside.” Her answer cut him like a knife. Then he heard a small voice. It said, “I will follow you. I will go with you wherever you go.” The king turned around and saw his first wife. As he beheld her poor clothing and her sickly appearance it grieved him even more that he had been neglecting her all this time. Then the king knew his time had come. With his last breath he cried out with a loud voice and said, “I should have taken better care of you while I had the chance!”

In a sense, we all have these four wives. The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much we love it and give it nourishment, when we die it will leave us. The third wife is our riches and wealth. No matter how much we have or how proud we are of it, when we die, it will just go to someone else. The second wife is our family and friends. They are of great help to us in this life but when we die, the farthest they can go with us is to our graveside. The first wife is our soul! It is the only one that will remain with us when we die. Sadly, it is often the most neglected. The simple message of this story is to take care of your soul while you still have the time! It is all you will take with you in the life to come.

Jonathan Glaesemann