An elderly man moved in with his son’s family: his son, daughter-in-law, and young grandson. They weren’t well off, and the old man’s health was failing—his hands trembled, his vision blurred, and he walked unsteadily.
They all ate together, but his shaking hands and poor eyesight made every meal a struggle. Food spilled from his spoon, milk tipped from his glass, and his son and daughter-in-law grew frustrated.
“We can’t keep doing this! He’s ruining every meal!” his son complained.
So they set up a small table in the corner where the old man ate alone. Instead of regular dishes, they served him in a wooden bowl because he kept dropping and breaking plates. The couple rarely spoke to him, except to coldly scold him when he spilled something. Meanwhile, their young son watched everything in silence.
One day, the father noticed the boy was making something out of wood. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“A bowl,” the child said, “for you and Mama to use when I’m older.”
Those words hit the parents like a bolt of lightning. That evening, they brought the old man back to the their table. From then on, he ate with them, no longer alone, no longer scorned. They never complained again—about spilled milk or dropped forks—and the old man spent his remaining days surrounded by LOVE.