The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember

the tale of the Wooden Bowl

tomorrow,

a week

from now,

a month from now,

a year from now.

A frail old man

went to live with

his son, daughter-in-law,

and four-year-old 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.

The son and daughter-in-law

became irritated with the mess.
'We must do something about father,'

said the son.

I've had enough of his spilled milk,

noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife

set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone

while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two,

his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced

in Grandfather'sdirection,

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 I grow up.'
The four-year-old smiled

and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents

so 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.

On a positive note,

I've learned that,

no matter what happens,

how bad it seems today,

life does go on,

and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that

you can tell a lot about a person

by the way he/she handles four things:
a rainy day, the elderly, accident and lost luggage.

I've learned that

making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that

life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you
But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others,
your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you

I've learned that

whenever I decide something

with an open heart,

I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that

even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that

every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch --

holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.