Fr. Jose Kaimlett I happened once to overhear the following conversation between a pencil and an eraser: Pencil: I’m sorry…. Eraser: For what? You didn’t do anything wrong. Pencil: I’m sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you’re always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself; each time you become smaller and smaller. Eraser: That’s true. But I don’t really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you did something wrong. Even though one day, I know I’ll be gone and you’ll replace me with a new one, I’m actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They’re always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way… they get hurt, and become smaller, older, and eventually they pass on. Though their children will eventually find someone new, the spouse, a dear friend etc., but parents are still happy with what they do and have done for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.
In the older generation are our roots from where we have grown. It is true we are busy growing up, but let us not forget that they are growing old and like the eraser, they have been slowly but steadily diminishing. Like the pencil here, let us use every opportunity our disposal to express our love, appreciation and gratitude to them. Tomorrow may be too late.
