There is a wonderful fable about a young orphan girl who had no family and no one to love her. One day, feeling exceptionally sad and lonely, she was walking through a meadow when she noticed a small butterfly caught unmercifully in a thornbush. The more the butterfly struggled to free itself, the deeper the thorns cut into its fragile body. The young orphan girl carefully released the butterfly from its captivity. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief. 

“For your wonderful kindness,” the good fairy said to the girl, “I will grant you any wish you would like.” 

The little girl thought for a moment and then replied, “I want to be happy!” 

The fairy said, “Very well,” and leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the good fairy vanished. 

As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her the secret of her happiness. She would only smile and answer, “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.” 

When she was very old and on her deathbed, the neighbors all rallied around her, afraid that the fabulous secret of happiness would die with her. “Tell us, please,” they begged. “Tell us what the good fairy said.” 

The lovely old woman simply smiled and said, “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.”