Summary: Anna dropped her book on the counter. "I'm going to take this back to the library and get something else to read," she said. "The stories in this book are just too wacky. I don't like what the people do in the one I just read. Idon't think anything like that could ever happen anyway." "What's it about?" asked Mom. "Is it supposed to be a true story?" Anna looked at the book. "Well, no, I guess not," she said. "The story is about a man who lived with his son Jeb. The man was old, and his hands shook. When he ate, he sometimes knocked things over, so Jeb's wife told Jeb to make a wooden bowl so his father wouldn't break the good dishes. Jeb did that, but his father still spilled food at the table. Jeb and his wife got tired of seeing that happen, so Jeb made his father take the wooden bowl and sit in the corner to eat. That still wasn't good enough. They got tired of cleaning the food corner, so they made him eat out of the kind of grain bin animals use." "Dear me!" exclaimed Mom. "That's dreadful!" "Yeah! But there's one part Iliked," Anna continued. "Jeb and his wife had a little boy, and one day they saw him whittling--hollowing out a log. Jeb asked him what he was doing. 'I'm making a trough so it will be ready for you when you're old and come to live with me,' said the boy." Anna paused a moment; then she grinned. "I like that Jeb and his wife would get what they deserve, but I still think it's a silly story. Those things would never happen." "Well, I certainly hope not!" exclaimed Mom. "Still . . . there's something we can learn from the story. It shows how wrong it is to not respect parents and grandparents. Many people don't do that." Anna nodded. "Cassie says she's sometimes embarrassed because of her grandma, who lives with them. She says her grandma talks real funny since she had a stroke, and her face is droopy on one side. But Cassie's mother says that doesn't matter at all." "Her mother is right," said Mom. "God's Word instructs children to honor their parents. It's something we should remember at all times and under all conditions." How About You? Do you honor your parents? That includes obeying them and speaking well of them. It includes helping them when they need assistance. Do you show respect to your grandparents? To all elderly people? Follow God's directions regarding this. Learn to show respect and loving care while you're young. Treat elderly people the way you'd like to be treated when you're old. Today's Key Verse: Honor your father and mother. (Ephesians 6:2) Today's Key Thought: Honor your parents
