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 make a mistake, you’re always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.”

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 do 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, please stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.

There is something to learn from this little conversation between the pencil and the eraser, which is very touching.

Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They’re always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes, clearing up their mess. Sometimes along the way they get hurt and become smaller / older and eventually pass away.

Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but surely, parents are still happy with what they have done or will still continue to do for their children and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, tensed or sad.

All their life, parents will remain the Eraser, no matter how many times they are needed by the pencil — their dear kids. The beauty that God has put into them, make them do it from the heart, with a smile, without complaints, with so much happiness, accepting it as their duty, no matter how old they get and can’t walk, but still love for their kids, will make them walk for a mile — with a smile.

The pencil whispers softly as its conscience hurts, “It pains me to see the eraser, that is my parents, getting smaller and smaller each day. For, I know that one day, all that I’m left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have.”

…And prays with tears in the eyes, “I thank God for giving me such lovely and wonderful parents. I know their worth now. I am truly sorry God, for the times I have ignored them and taken them for granted. God please bless them and keep them in your loving care.”

“….Dad and Mom, I love you. Where are you?!”

We never know the love and worth of our parents as long as they are around us. We should not wait to tell them that we love them and do all we can for them when they are alive. We should not wait to see the eraser shavings and just have memories of them.

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. — Harriet Beecher Stone

It is the responsibility of the children to look after the parents in their old age and not neglect them like some broken or out of use furniture lying in some corner of the house. However good an old age home may be, but it can never replace the love, care and the warmth of one’s own home and children.

Taitriya Upanishad, (Shikshaa Valli — chap. 1, sec. xi, v. 2) says, “…Consider mother as god. Consider father as god…” (“Maatru devo bhava. Pitru devo bhava.”). For children, parents are their gods. They fulfill their wishes. If we cannot love and serve our parents, how can we love and serve an unseen and unknown God?

We can never repay enough for what our parents have done for us.

Serving one’s own parents is the greatest service.