THE SECRET SPICE

                 A girl was watching her mother cooking a dish in the kitchen. On the shelf, there were several containers, neatly labelled, each containing a component like salt, sugar, oil, vinegar or a spice. She opened the lids of the containers in a definite order and added the required amount of each ingredient into the cooking vessel which was heated on a stove. Finally, she opened a container and looked inside for a while and then closed it. Then she served the delicious dish to everyone with great love. The children relished the dishes with a smile. This happened every day.

                 One day, the mother was too sick to cook. Her daughter agreed to do the cooking. She followed the mother’s recipe. The girl examined the labels of every container while trying to follow the directions of her mother. She found that the last vessel did not carry a label and so ignored it. She placed the cooking vessel on the stove and put on the flame.

                 When the dish was getting ready, out of curiosity, she opened the unlabelled vessel, which her mother used to open, observe and close like a ritual every day. She was surprised to find in that vessel, a small card on which was written a short verse from the Holy Bible, “Do all your work in love” {1 Corinthians 16: 14}.

                 Now she realised how her mother used to serve their food with love every time after reading the message in the last vessel.

                 A favourite motto of St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata (1910 – 1997) was: "Do small things with great love."

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© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip, Former 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 and Neil John, Maniparambil, Alfeen Public School, Kanjirappally, Kerala, India. 

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