Amos Stevens
New Member
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 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.
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 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.
