Money Can’t Buy Everything

Nick was a 10-year-old boy. He was the only child of his parents. His father was a very busy businessman. He worked all day and came home late at night. When Nick woke up in the morning, his father was already gone to work.

Nick missed his father. He wanted to play with him and spend time together, just like other kids did with their dads.

One evening, Nick was surprised to see his father at home.

“Dad! You’re home early today!” Nick said happily.

“Yes, son,” his father replied. “My meeting was cancelled, so I came home. But I have to catch a flight in two hours.”

“When will you be back?” Nick asked.

“By tomorrow afternoon,” his father said.

Nick thought for a moment and then asked, “Dad, how much do you earn in a year?”

His father was surprised. “That’s a big number, Nick. You might not understand it.”

“Okay,” Nick said, “But are you happy with what you earn?”

“Yes, I am. I’m even planning to start a new business soon,” his father smiled.

“That’s great, Dad. Can I ask one more question?”

“Sure, go ahead,” said his father.

“How much do you earn in one hour?”

His father looked confused. “Why do you want to know that?”

“Please, Dad, just tell me.”

His father finally said, “About $25 an hour.”

Nick quickly ran to his room. He came back with his piggy bank and said, “Dad, I have $50. Can you spend two hours with me tomorrow evening? We can go to the beach and have dinner together. Please mark it in your schedule.”

Nick’s father stood silent. He had no words.

Lesson:
The best gift a parent can give is time.
Money can never replace love and presence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Glenn Cunningham: The Boy Who Never Gave Up

Image
A long time ago, in a small village school, classrooms were heated with a coal stove. One young boy was in charge of coming early every day to start the fire before the others arrived. One morning, when the students and teachers came to school, they found the building in flames. Inside, they discovered the boy—unconscious and badly burned. They rushed him to the hospital. The doctors told his mother that the boy's lower body was badly burned and he might not survive. But the boy was brave. He refused to give up. To the surprise of the doctors, he survived. Later, the doctors told his mother that even though he lived, he would never walk again. His legs were too damaged. But the boy didn’t accept that. He was determined. Even though he couldn’t move his legs and had no feeling in them, he kept believing that one day, he would walk again. His mother helped him every day by massaging his legs. At first, there was no change. But the boy didn’t stop trying. One sunny day, his ...
Read more

The Merchant and the Donkey

Image
One bright spring morning, a merchant loaded his donkey with heavy sacks of salt and set off for the market. As they walked, they came to a river. The donkey slipped, fell into the water, and quickly climbed out. To its surprise, the load felt much lighter — the salt had dissolved. The merchant went back home and reloaded the donkey with fresh sacks of salt. When they reached the same river, the donkey pretended to slip. Again, the salt was ruined, and the merchant returned home frustrated. Realizing the donkey was playing a trick, the merchant decided to teach it a lesson. This time, he loaded the animal with large sponges. When they reached the river, the donkey “slipped” once more. But instead of feeling lighter, the load grew heavier as the sponges soaked up water. The merchant chuckled and said, “Clever tricks don’t work forever, my friend.”
Read more