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Illustrated
by: Sao Pagnarith.
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Wooden Bowl
The Story Of An Old Man
A frail old man went to live with his only son,
daughter-in-law and their four-year old lad - his
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 and when he grasped the glass, milk spilled
on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with
the mess and decided that they have to do something
about Grandfather. "I've had enough of his
spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor,"
said the son. So the husband and wife set a small
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separately
in the corner of the dining room. There, Grandfather
ate alone while the rest of the family continues
to enjoy dinner at the table.
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, they 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 the Grandfather 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. |
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