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 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.