My
mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is.
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, Mommy."
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, "Mommy, 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
one year, my father died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying.
My
Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my father.
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 named 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 and threw her head to my shoulder and hugged me. 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 made
for others and not for yourself. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.
People
will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But they will never
forget how you made them feel.
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