Life Lessons
The Handprints On The Wall ✋🧱
Dad had grown old and used to lean on the wall as he walked. Consequently, the walls started getting smudged, and wherever he touched, marks of his fingers would appear on the walls.
When my wife found out, she often complained to me about the dirty walls.
One day, I had a headache, so Dad massaged my head with oil. As he walked, oil stains were left on the walls.
Seeing this, my wife screamed. And I, too, spoke rudely in anger to my parents, advising them not to touch the walls while walking.
They looked very sad.
I felt ashamed of my behavior but said nothing to them.
Dad stopped touching the walls while walking. Then one day, he fell, and the bed became his deathbed, and within a few days, he left us.
I felt a sense of guilt in my heart, and I couldn't forget his influence, and immediately afterward, I couldn't forgive myself for his death.
Sometime later, we wanted to paint our house. When the painter came, my son, who loved his grandfather, refused to allow the painters to remove the marks of his grandpa’s fingers and not to paint those areas.
The painter was very understanding and diligent. He assured me that they wouldn't remove my dad's fingerprints, but instead, they would create a beautiful circle around those marks and design a unique pattern.
After that, this tradition continued, and those prints became a part of our house. Every visitor to our house admired our unique design.
With time, I also grew old.
Now I needed the support of the wall to walk.
One day, while walking, I remembered the words of my father, and my son immediately came to me and asked me to take the support of the walls, insisting that I could fall without support, I saw that my son had me covered. My granddaughter immediately came forward and lovingly placed my hand on her shoulder for support.
I almost started crying silently. If I had done the same for my father, he would have lived longer.
My granddaughter took me along and seated me on the sofa. Then she took out her drawing book to show me.
Her drawing depicted the marks of my father's hands on the walls.
Her teacher's remarks were:
"I wish every child loves their elders like this."
I returned to my room and started crying, which I couldn't do for my father, who was no more.
Tell your family members that these elders are precious, not just walls and things.🌷🌷
We, too, grow old with time. Let’s take care of our elders and teach our children the same.
Always make Dua for the mercy of parents:
رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا
“My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.”
(Surah Al-Isra’ 17:24)
