The Candle of Hope, Love and Friendship

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.

FRIENDSHIP
CANDLE

NOTICE
AT THE END,

THE
DATE THE CANDLE WAS STARTED.
GONNA GIVE YOU GOOSE
BUMPS.

I
am not going to be the one who lets it die. I found it believable
--

angels
have walked beside me all my life--and they still
do

*********************

This
is to all of you who

mean
something to me,

I
pray for your happiness.

The
Candle Of Love, Hope & Friendship

This
candle was lit on the
15th of September, 1998

Someone
who loves you has helped

keep
it alive by sending it to you.

Don't
let The Candle of Love, Hope and Friendship die

Pass
It On To All Of Your Friends

and
Everyone You Love!

May
you be richly blessed

(We received the above via an e-mail.)