The Wooden Bowl

A Friend of mine who re discovered the Christian Faith sent the following:

The Wooden BowlI guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowltomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.A frail old man went to live with his son,daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson.
The oldman's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and hisstep faltered.The family ate together at the table. But the elderlygrandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eatingdifficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. Whenhe grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with themess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, andfood on the floor.'So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the familyenjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish ortwo, his food was served in a wooden bowl.When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction,sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharpadmonitions 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 sonplaying with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the childsweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boyresponded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you andMama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' Thefour-year-old smiled and went back to work.The words so struck the parents so that they werespeechless. 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 tocare any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, orthe tablecloth soiled.On a positive note,
I've learned that, no matter whathappens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and itwill be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by theway he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly,lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship withyour parents, you'll miss them when they're gone fromyour life.I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thingas making a 'life..'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able tothrow something backI've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will eludeyou But, if you focus on your family, your friends, theneeds of others, your work and doing the very best youcan, happiness will find youI've learned that whenever I decide something with anopen heart, I usually make the right decision
.I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have tobe one.
I've learned that every day, you should reach out andtouch someone.People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug,or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that
I still have a lot to learn.I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone youcare about
.I just did.