High 5: 6 October 2017 by Miss Beh Jing Ying

Good morning Mdm Tan, Mr Lee, Mr Chung, fellow colleagues and all Gessians. On Wednesday, Mrs Tay Yen Ping started our special October Take 5 and High 5 ‘Respect’ story series with her story about the angry father and the surgeon. Today, I will share my story on ‘Respect’ 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 steps faltered. The family ate together at the table every evening. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult for him. 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.” complained the daughter-in- law.

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner of the house. There, Grandfather was made to eat alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner together each evening.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served to him 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.

Their four-year- old son watched it all in silence.

One evening before dinner, 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 struck the parents 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 Grandfather’s 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 hope that you are reminded of filial piety and the importance of the love between you and your parents as you listened to this story. The moral of this sharing is simple. How one generation loves, the next generation learns.

Regardless of your relationship with your parents and grandparents, I encourage all of you to make time to show appreciation to them. For all they have done for us, they certainly deserve our respect, care and love. Let us give thanks for our parents and all that they have taught and inspired us. It would become our regret if our parents or grandparents were to leave us one day and we realised we have not spent as much time with them as we would have wished to.

Allow me to end my High 5 by asking you 2 questions: When was the last time you showed appreciation to your parents and grandparents? What can you do over the weekend to show your appreciation?

Stay tuned for next Monday’s story and have a restful weekend ahead. Thank you.