Once upon a time, a wedding procession was traveling along the road from the city to the village. The journey was not close, but the day was hot and the people, tired from the journey, thirsty, were very thirsty. The groom prayed, turning his face to the sky: “Oh, if the Lord gave us clean, cold water, I would definitely order a service in the church in honor of such a miracle.”
Suddenly, on the outskirts of the village, a spring with clean and cold water appeared, which people began to drink with pleasure. Having refreshed themselves, they looked around and noticed a shepherd with a flock of sheep grazing on the bank of the river, to which a stream ran down. People greeted the old shepherd. Having thoroughly rested, the travelers saddled their horses and crossed to the other side of the river.
And the groom, meanwhile, threw out of his head the promise that he had made to God. Of course, the thoughts of the groom were not a secret to God. He decided to punish him and turned the groom and the entire company that was with him into stone. The groom on a horse, the bride on a horse, their parents, guests, gifts, and the shepherd with his sheep - all turned to stone.
A beautiful stone cross appeared next to the spring. The drawings engraved on it have survived to this day. They remind us of human ingratitude.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru