My youngest daughter Lindsay (who is 19 and beginning her Sophomore year at UTK) recently told me that her father  sat her down for a serious conversation about her inheritance when he passes away. I asked her if she was going to take care of her mom in her old age and she replied “Well of course! I’ll put you in the nicest nursing home I can find!”

I’m celebrating my 50th birthday at the end of August and I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. I’ve never been one to get hung up on (or depressed about) age. As a matter of fact, I’ve found that each decade is better than the last. So, I’ve been looking forward to being fifty because even though my life is more than half over, I know I still have a lot left to experience. Since I’ve been in a sappy mood lately, when I read this story it really stuck with me and I’ve decided to share it with you...

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.

I guess the moral of the story is....be nice to old people because one day, you're going to be one!