Lottery Power Picks News: Just for Fun: The Wooden Bowl

Monday, April 28, 2008

Just for Fun: The Wooden Bowl

Every so often, we receive interesting stories, jokes,
and more in the mail.

After much thought, we thought that
we would share some of those with you.

Below is one of them.

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the
Wooden Bowl

tomorrow,
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
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,
sometimes 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.

I've learned that
you can tell a lot about a person by the way
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
with your parents,

you'll
miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a 'living' is
not the same thing as 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 to throw something back

I've
learned that if you pursue happiness, it will
elude you

But,
if you focus on your family, your friends, the
needs of others,

your
work and doing the very best you can, happiness
will find you

I've learned that whenever
I decide something with an open heart, I usually
make the right decision.

I've learned
that even when I have pains, I don't have to be
one.

I've learned that every day, you
should reach out and touch 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 you care about.
I just did.