we should be reminded..

[Harkoliar]

i was looking at my old email.. for reason i dont know what.. anyway.. i dont think i have posted this before.. (i searched it in the previous archive but no results)

enjoy [img]smile.gif[/img]

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
onto the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with
the
mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," 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, he
sometimes had a tear in his eye, as he sat alone. Still, the on! ly
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 when I grow up." 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 words were 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.&n!
bsp; 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 that he/she handles three
things: rainy days, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents,
you
will 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 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 human touches, holding hands, a warm hug, or just a
friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that you
should
pass this on to everyone you care about. I just did. People will
forget
what you said and what you did, but people will never forget how you
made
them feel.

[Lord Lothar]

Quite a nice story. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[HolyWarrior]

nice one.

[wellard]

I get a few of these type of stories sent by a good friend, I think I will cut and paste this in reply. A very sweet story Harkoliar [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Firestormalpha]

Good story Harkoliar. I've heard it before, but the wooden bowl was instead a wooden trough much like the ones pigs eat from. Either way, the lesson was the same.