Once upon a time, there was 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, 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 day, 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.
