Dawn's Notes
Diamonds In Your Own Backyard - February 2025
by Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW
In 1869 a guide told the story below to a group of travelers sitting on camels near the Tigris River. One of the travelers was an American, Russell Conwell. Mr. Conwell listened intently and later repeated the story in speeches 6,152 more times, a fact included in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Here’s the story:
The guide told of a man called Ali Hafed who owned a large farm. I imagine he had a camel and a plow to work his land. He labored tirelessly for everything he had, day after day. In many ways, Ali Hafed was blessed, and he was content–until, that is, he had the pleasure of entertaining a stranger one day, an old priest who came to visit. As they sat by Ali’s fireside, the old priest told Ali about the discovery of diamonds in a distant land. With a handful of diamonds the priest claimed one could buy a whole country. With a mine of diamonds, one could place his children on thrones.
That night, Ali Hafed went to bed a poor man. His contentment had evaporated, unseated by thoughts of the diamonds he did not have. The next day, he sought out the priest and begged, “Tell me where I can find diamonds.”
The priest answered, “If you find a river between high mountains that runs through white sands, in those white sands, you will always find diamonds.
“I want a mine of diamonds!” became the cry of Ali Hafed’s heart, and that day, he determined to chase his dream. He sold his farm, hugged his wife and kids good-bye. And with a final, bold declaration, he said to them, “When I come back, we’ll be fabulously wealthy. You’ll be set for life!”
Then Ali went off as a soldier of fortune, hunting for diamonds. He went to East Africa. No diamonds. He went to Palestine. No diamonds. To Europe. No diamonds. Finally, after consuming all of his wealth in search of greater fortune, Ali Hafed wandered into Spain. Still no diamonds.
In Spain, the discontented man reached the point of such despair that he decided to end his life. He stood on a shore, he watched a giant wave thundering toward him, and jumped into the raging water, never to be seen again.
One day, the man who bought Ali Hafed’s farm was leading his camel to a stream on his new property. As the man’s camel drank, a curious flash of light in the stream caught the man’s eye. Looking closer, he reached down and pulled out a black stone. When the sunlight hit it, he noticed that the stone lit up with all the colors of the rainbow. The man thought to himself, “Pretty stone.” Then he walked back to his house, laid the stone on a mantel as a decoration, and forgot all about it. The next day, the same priest who had told Ali Hafed about diamonds stopped by. As he sat talking to the new owner, the priest paused abruptly midsentence. His eyes had fallen on the black rock setting on the mantel. Pointing to the stone, the priest exclaimed, “That’s a diamond!”
The farmer shook his head. “Nothing of the sort. It’s just a stone.”
“I’m telling you,” the priest insisted, “it’s a diamond. Where did you get it?”
“I’ll show you.” The priest followed the farmer to the garden by the stream. When they stirred up the white sand with their fingers, countless diamonds appeared, bigger and shinier than the first.
The man who had bought the farm from Ali Hafed had inadvertently discovered the diamond mine of Golconda, the most magnificent diamond mine in history. In fact, crown jewels worn by royalty all over the world, including Queen Mother in England, come from this very mine—from the same land, the same garden, the same streams, and with the same camel that Ali Hafed had left behind.
Years later, Conwell wrote the book Acres of Diamonds and poured the profits in into the newly built Temple University in Philadelphia which Conwell founded in 1884. At the time he wrote the book, more than forty thousand students were enrolled! The original story is believed to be true. It has been talked about and written about for many years. The lesson from the story comes through clearly: We don’t have to leave home to find riches. Sometimes there are unrecognized riches right in our own backyards, even when we are grieving!
Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, an author, probably agrees with the main point of the story. She is a bereaved mother who formed the MISS foundation that serves families of children who have died. She also developed the Graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement at Arizona State University. Here is one of her quotes:
I can be grateful for all I have
while also feeling grief for all I’ve lost.
If you are sad or grieving, intentionally look for any tiny “sparkle” around you. You might discover diamonds in your own backyard!
Call about the next "Living Life after Loss" Group at:
Meadowlark Hospice
709 Liberty, Clay Center, Kansas
(785) 632-2225
Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW, Group Facilitator