Parents

Another one which needs to be shared..

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, 
and four-year grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his 
eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.... The family ate 
together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky 
hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off 
his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk 
spilled on the tablecloth.

So the husband and wife got irritated and set a small table 
in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of 
the family enjoyed their dinners together.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was 
served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, 
sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the
 only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions 
when he dropped a fork or spilled food.


The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening 
before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are 
you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am
 making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in 
when you get old." The four year old smiled and went back 
to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. 
Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no 
word was spoken, both knew what must be done.


That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and 
gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of
 his days he ate every meal with the family and for some 
reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth 
soiled.