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 steps faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaking hands and failing eyesight made his eating difficult. Peas rolled off from his spoon to the floor.  When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and his wife became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his noisy eating, spilled milk and food on the floor.”

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the family enjoyed eating at the dining table.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes he has a tear in his eye as he sat and ate alone.

Still the only words that the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he drops a fork or spills food.

The young grandson watched every incident 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 son replied, “Oh, I’m making a bowl for you and Mama to eat you food in when you grow old.” Smiling, the four-year-old went back to work.

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

That evening, the husband took his father’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his life, 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 was spilled or the tablecloth soiled.

You may ponder on the story that you just read and visualize the moral lesson that you learned from it.

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