Mr. Gold looked at the pot, then at the monk, and then he looked around his now-empty house. It was quiet, oh so quiet. He had lost everything he thought he valued, and yet… as he looked at the kind face of Brother Thistle, and remembered the worried, loving faces of his wife and children, a different feeling began to bloom in his heart. It was a warmth he hadn't felt in a very long time.
'So,' he murmured, 'all my gold… all my jewels… they were never going to make me truly happy, were they? I was trying to fill my heart with things, when my heart needed something else.'
'Exactly so, Mr. Gold,' said Brother Thistle gently. 'True happiness, my friend, is not found in collecting more and more, but in being content with what you already have, and in sharing love with those around you. It is found in the warmth of your family, the laughter of your children, the beauty of a simple flower, and the kindness you show to others.'
Just then, Mrs. Gold and the children, Lily and Tom, came into the room. They had heard Mr. Gold's small voice and rushed to be with him. Seeing his tired, sad face, they didn't care about the empty rooms or the vanished gold. They only cared about him. Lily hugged his arm, and Tom snuggled into his side, and Mrs. Gold gave him a warm, comforting hug.