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 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 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.
