They're Ageing, But Let's Not Forget...

I've recounted an interesting video advertisement I received in my email. It's one of those things that make us stop and think for a good moment, and set us straight.


An elderly man and a young man are sitting on a bench in a backyard. It's a lovely, warm day. The young man is reading a book while the older man is attracted to a sound of a bird chirping nearby. He sees it hopping around on the branches of a tree.

Pointing to it, he asks, "What is that?"

The young man looks up from his book. "A sparrow."

A few moments later, the elderly man says, "What's that?" as he points once again to the bird.

The young man looks up again. "Dad, it's a sparrow, like I said."

The bird flies to a bush. The old man points to it. "What is that?"

With a frustrated sigh, his son lowers the book and stares at his father. "Dad, how many times do I have to tell you it's a sparrow?"

When the bird flies over to the grass near their feet, the father asks the same question.

"Why do you do this?" shouts his son. "Why do you keep asking the same thing? It's a sparrow for God's sake!"

Quietly, his father gets up and goes into the house. A few moments later, he emerges holding an old diary. He sits next to his son and opens it. He flips the pages slowly until he finds the one he wants. He runs his finger down the page and stops. He reads: "I spent the afternoon with my three-year-old son in the garden. Nature fascinated him. He kept pointing to a little bird, asking what it was. I told him it was a sparrow. He kept asking the same question, and I kept answering. He asked me twenty one times. I answered him every time, and hugged him in my arms."

Hearing this, the son breaks down and pulls his father close. "I'm sorry, Dad," he cries.

******

Seeing the video made me cry. Dad made a good point. We owe at least this much to our parents.


Celia Jade