Two students in a college
were close friends. One was the son of a rich merchant but his friend was very
poor. The rich son used to spend money extravagantly and act recklessly. He
wanted to make more money to live more lavishly. He devised a plan to steal
ornaments from a jewellery shop by night. He sought the assistance of the poor
friend for the crime. They broke into the shop by night and stole some
expensive jewellery. The next day the police traced the culprits and they were
held in custody. They were produced before the court of law and they were
convicted of the crime by the court. The judge sentenced them to pay a heavy
fine and decreed that they would be imprisoned if the fine was not paid
forthwith.
The rich man arrived in his expensive car with
the required sum of money and easily paid the fine to release his son. The poor
man had no money with him. There was nobody to help him. So he made a contract
with the owner of a distant quarry that he would work for him in the quarry for
an year. He received some money as an advance payment for his promised labour.
With this money he could pay the fine and get his son released. But he had to
shift to the quarry where he had to toil in the scorching summer to break the rocks
and stones in the quarry and carry them to the trucks for transportation. His
body became bruised by the laborious work and he got inflicted with several
wounds. He shed a lot of blood and his body was scarred from the hard and
dangerous work in the quarry. He had to stay in the clumsy temporary tents away
from home for days together to continue his bonded labour.
The two friends resumed
their studies. One day the rich man's son invited his friend to join him in
another operation of theft assuring that he had planned the operation
meticulously and so they would not be traced this time. But the poor man's son
declined the request remembering the hardships his loving father was suffering
to compensate for the fine paid to save him from imprisonment. He told his rich
friend, "My dear Daddy has shed his blood and bruised his body to save me.
He is enduring this punishment for my sinful actions. I will never commit another crime in my
life."
Martin
David Buxbaum (1912-1991), editor of Marriot's "Table
Talk", tells parents that success in parenting is not measured by the
expensive gifts and facilities you may provide to a child:
"You can use most any measure
When you are speaking of success.
You can measure it in fancy home,
Expensive car or dress.
But the measure of your real success
Is the one you cannot spend.
It's the way your kids describe you
When talking to a friend."
The
family is the first and best institution founded by God. The letters in the
word, FAMILY may be regarded as representing the first letters
of the words in the statement, “Father And Mother In Love, Year-round”
or the hearty remark of
a loving little child, “Father And Mother! I Love You”.
Parents
should stand between their child and God- not as a separating wall but as a
connecting link.
............................................................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University
of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public School,
Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath,
Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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thats a nice one...
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