Angel's Craft
THINK
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. 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, 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 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.
courtesy of Odette
A COURSE IN MIRACLES [excerpt]
THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM
Check out my web links page to see where I got my neat new
backgrounds.