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 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 Grand- father"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. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb.
If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child"s future.
Let"s be wise builders and role models. Lord, we ask not that you move the mountains, but that You give us the strength to climb. "Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference." "Take care of yourself, ...and those you love, ... today, ... and everyday!"
一位年老体衰的父亲去和他儿子、儿媳妇，还有四岁的小孙子一起生活。可他双手打颤，走路不稳，眼睛视力还不好，看不清楚东西。
一大家人在一张桌子上吃饭，可老父亲的手颤抖得厉害，又不能看清楚，吃饭很困难。豌豆从调羹滚落到地上，可当他伸手去抓的时候，杯子里的牛奶又洒在桌布上了。儿子和儿媳妇为眼前的脏乱感到非常的恼火。
儿子说：“我们必须为老头做些什么，我已经受够了他杯子里洒出的牛奶，吃饭时发出的响声，以及把饭洒得满地都是。”
因此，夫妻俩就在房间的角落里放了一张小桌子。于是，全家人一起进餐的时候，而只有父亲一个人在角落里吃饭。父亲每次吃饭的时候都会打破一两个碟子，因此他们就 把他的饭放在一个木头碗里。家人瞥爷爷的时候，发现有时爷爷眼里含着泪花。而且，夫妻俩同父亲之间唯一的交流就是当父亲不小心丢掉叉子或者把食物弄洒时严厉的训斥声。
他们四岁的儿子静静地注视着眼前发生的一切。一天晚餐前，爸爸注意到他的儿子在地上玩弄一些木片，爸爸亲切地问：“你正在做什么呢？” 那个小男孩也同样语气亲切地回答到：“哦，我正在为你和妈妈做一个吃饭用的小碗，当我长大以后你们就可以用了。”
这个四岁的小孩笑着接着做他的碗。孩子的话深深震撼了这对父母的心灵，他们相对无语，眼泪顺着他们的脸颊流了下来。虽然他们没有说一句话，但是他们知道他们必须做些什么了。
那天晚上，儿子抓住老父亲的手，慢慢地带着他回答桌子旁。那天晚上他和家人一起共进晚餐。当叉子掉下，牛奶四溢，桌布弄脏的时候，夫妻俩不再介意。孩子们有着很强的洞察力，眼睛在看，耳朵在听，以及他们的大脑处理着他们所收取到的信息。
如果他们耐心地看见我们为家庭每个成员所提供一个愉快的家庭氛围，他们将会在他们以后的生活中模仿这种态度。明智的父母意识到每一天所建立起来的砖石都是为了孩子的未来铺垫的。
让我们成为那些明智的建设者和各自角色的楷模吧。天那！我们又没有要求你移动高山，但是你必须给我们攀登高山的力量。“生活是人与人之间的交往，并且那是绝对有意义的。”“今天，……每天都要照顾好你自己……和你所爱的人！”
Grandpa"s Bees
祖父的蜜蜂
A long time before I was born, my Grandma and grandpa moved into the house on Beechwood
Avenue. They had a young family-Of 4 little girls .The little girls Slept in the attic in a big feather bed. It was cold there on winter night. Grandma put hot britcks under the covers at the foot of the bed to keep the little girls warm.
During the Great Depression, work was Hard to find, so Grandpa did whatever obs he could. He dug ditches during the week and on Weekend he and Grandma dug a garden to grow some of their own food.
The house on Beechwood Avenue had a big Front yard with shade trees and fruitetrees. In the middle of the yard was a water pump where the four little girls pumped water for cooking ,cleaning and watering the garden. On one side of the yard, Grandma and Grandpa planted tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries to feed their growing family.
They planted Roses geraniums lilacs and irises on the other Side of the yard, around the statue of the Blessed Mother.
Everybody worked to keep the garden growing. AIl summer long, the family ate food from the garden and enjoyed the beautiful f1owers.Grandma put up stawberry jam, tomatoes, beans, peppers, pears and peaches in canning jam. They were good to eat through the long winter.
The family grew up, and before too many years had passed, the grandchildren came to visit.
Grandma and Grandpa still planted their garden every spring. Everyone still enjoyed the good food from the garden and always took some home.
Grandchilden grow up, and grandparents grow older. It became harder for Grandma and Grandpa to keep up the garden. So they made it a little smaller. There was still plenty to eat from the garden and lovely f1owers to enjoy.
Then one summer when Grandpa was eighty-nine years old, all he cou1d do was watch from his lawn chair as the vegetables grew and the roses bloomed. Summer slowly faded, and Grandpa died before it was time to bring in the harvest.
It was a lonely Winter for Grandma. She sat near the window, looking out at the yard and wondering if she could plant the garden in the spring. It would be hard to care for it by herself.
When spring came, she planted only a little garden.
One sunny day in the early summer, Grandma heard a commotion in the front yard and looked out the window to see a frightening sight agigantic swarm of bees filled the air between two tall trees.
There was thousands of bees in the air,so many that the swarm reached the tree-tops! The buzzing sound was tremendous. Grandma watched as the bees made their way into a ho1e up in one of the trees. Before long, everyone of those bees had disappeard into its new home.
Grandma wondered what in the world she could do. Should she hair someone to get rid of bees? That would cost more than she could afford. She decided to wait and think it over.
During the next few days, the bees were busy mading their own business. Grandma could always see a few bees buzzing in and out around the opening high in the tree. Before long, she decided the bees won’t both- ering anyone,so she went about her business and didn"t give them any other thought.
That summer, Grandma"s little garden grew and grew. The neighborns would stop to admire the huge crop of vegetables and puzzle over their own gardens weren"t doing well. No matter, because Grandma had enough give some away. Of course, everyone who came to visit was treated to a meal of good things from the garden.
One day, Grandma"s brother Frank visited from Arizona. As Granndma made Frank a delicious lunch of squash pan cakes and home made apple sauce, she told him the story about the swam of bees.
Frank said "in Arizona, the farmers often hired beekeepers to set up beehives near their fields. The bees pollinated the crops and helped them to grow."
