The Wooden Bowl

The Wooden Bowl

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's direction, sometime
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 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, lost luggage,
and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your
parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

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 you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's
mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

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 every day, you should reach out and touch
someone.



I've learned that I still have a lot to learn!