EARN A PARENT!!!

A lot of things in life which we enjoy, comes to us at a price. We work for these things. We strive & nevertheless many a times still fail to achieve them. We work hard for it & we earn it. It could be admission in a school or college, getting a girlfriend or wife, or getting a job. Not to forget, this earned thing could even be a chocolate :-P While passing out from school, we want a good college. After college, we want a good job. Then, in some more years, we want a life partner. The way we run behind these things makes us feel that we were born only to accomplish these things.

All this seems fine. And our biggest support in whatever we do, are our parents. But never do we wonder that our great parents were gifted to us by God. We never worked to get them. We never strived hard so that we get good parents. But still they were, they are, & they will be with us in whatever we do. They are thrust upon us. We get them just like that. An effortless earning.

This reminds me of a very beautiful story.

An old man was sitting in the courtyard of his house along with his son who was highly educated. Suddenly a crow came onto the roof of the house. Seeing that, the father asked the son -  Son, What is this? The son replied: Its a crow. After some time, the father again asked the son: What is this? The son said: It is a crow.

After some more time, the father again asked his son & this was the third time: What is this?

The son said: Papa, so many times have I told you now that this is a crow.

After a little while the old father again asked his son the fourth time: what is this? By now, the son's tone sounded irritated & he rebuffed his father: It is a crow crow crow.

A little while later, the father again asked his son: What is this? This time the son replied to his father with anger. Oh Papa, you have been repeating the same question, although I told you so many times that it is a crow. Why aren't you understanding this?

The old man went to his room and came back with an old diary. Opening a page he asked his son to read what was written. What the son read were the following words:

'Today my little son was sitting with me in the courtyard, when a crow came there. My son asked me twenty-five times what it was and I told him twenty-five times that it was a crow and I did not at all feel irritated. I rather felt affection for my innocent child.'

The father then explained to his son the difference between a father's and a son's attitude. When you were a small kid, you asked me this question twenty-five times and I did not feel irritated in replying to the question twenty-five times and today when I asked you the same question only five times, you felt irritated & annoyed at me.

Probably, we would have understood the value of our parents more - had we earned them with our efforts & only got somebody who we are worth of.