My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body.
Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the
correct
answer.
When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as
humans, so I said, "My ears, Mummy."
She said, "No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and
I
will ask you again soon."
Several years passed before she asked me
again.
Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.
So
this time I told her, "Mummy, sight is very important to everybody, so
it
must be our eyes."
She looked at me and told me, "You are learning fast, but the answer is
not
correct because there are many people who are blind."
Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years,
Mother
asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, "No. But you
are
getting smarter every year, my child."
Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was
crying.
Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only
the
second time I saw him cry.
My Mum looked at me when it was our turn to
say
our final good-bye to Grandpa. She asked me, "Do you know the most
important
body part yet, my dear?"
I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a
game
between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, "This
question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your
life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were
wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you
need to
learn this important lesson."
She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with
tears. She said, "My dear, the most important body part is your
shoulder."
I asked, "Is it because it holds up my head?"
She replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a
loved
one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in
life, my
dear.
I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will
always
have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."
Then and there I knew the
most
important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain
of
others.
People will forget what you said...
People will forget what you did....
But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.