I was disgusted last week: A close friend of mine had been accused of embezzlement and after questioning him, I found he was guilty. I came away vowing to end the friendship, and then realized that I owed it to him, to speak why he had taken the money. I listened as I found that his daughter was down cancer. This certainly did not justify his stealing the money, but it justified me understanding that he was a friend in deep need; deep need of a friend!
I remember a story:
John was trying to make his little daughter Susan, eat her food. "Dad, if I eat this entire curd rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'
"OK darling!" John said quickly. Slowly and painfully she finished eating the whole quantity of curd rice. After the ordeal was through, Susan came to her father with her eyes wide with expectation. All attention was on her. "Dad, I want to have my head shaved, this Sunday!"
"Atrocious!" shouted John's wife, "a girl child having her head shaved off?"
"Susan, why don't you ask for something else?" John tried to plead. "Dad you are going back on your word" she cried, "didn't you say we should honour our promises no matter what?"
"Okay," he said reluctantly, "promises must be kept.''
"Are you out your mind?' shouted his wife.
"Maybe," sighed John, "but if we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honour her own. Susan, your wish will be fulfilled."
With her head clean-shaven, Susan had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful. On Monday morning, John dropped her at school. It was a sight to watch a hairless Susan walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. John waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car and shouted, "Susan, please wait for me!" What struck John was the hairless head of that boy. "Maybe, that is the in thing!" John thought.
"Sir, your daughter is great indeed!" Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, "that boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Fred. He is suffering from leukemia!"
She paused to muffle her sobs. "Fred could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Susan visited him last week, and promised him that she would take care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter..!"
Friendship means being a friend at your friend’s worst moment, not his or hers best..!
[email protected]
|
India’s beef ban came into spotlight recently in horrible ways. On September 30, 2015, a mob of more than 100 people lynched a 50 years old Muslim man, named Mohammad Akhlaq, in Uttar Pradesh. They… 
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
|