Out of the mouth of babes

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, 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.

On a positive note, I've learned that,

no matter what happens, how bad

it seems today, life does go on, and

it will be better tomorrow.