A rich man had a passion for collecting great
works of art. He had a huge collection of exquisite and expensive paintings
created by world-renowned painters. Everyone envied his priceless collection.
He had an only son whom he loved more than anything. His wife died during the
child’s birth and a loving nurse looked after the boy during his infancy. But
the boy died young. The man made a fine portrait of his only son which he
preserved as a treasure. Before the rich man died, he prepared a will and
entrusted his faithful lawyer to execute it.
The lawyer announced
the auction of the rich man’s possessions. A huge crowd had gathered, anxious
to bid for the famous paintings at the lowest possible price. The lawyer
announced that as per the will, the first article to be bid was the portrait of
the rich man’s only son. There was a silence. Only one person - an old woman
dressed in shabby clothes came forward to bid for the son’s portrait. She was
the boy’s nurse from his infancy and wanted to keep the picture as a mark of
her affection to the child. As she was very poor, she could offer only a small
sum of money. But as there was no one to bid for a higher amount, she was
declared to have won the bid.
The crowd made a loud
demand to start the bid of the expensive paintings. But then, to the surprise
of everyone, the lawyer declared that the auction was over. He then read aloud
a secret stipulation in the will of the rich man, “Whoever comes forward and
wins in the bid to possess the portrait of my beloved son shall be declared as
the legal owner of all my possessions.”
Thus the poor, loving
lady, who accepted the son, became the legal heir to the whole assets of the
Father.
Mother Teresa said, "It is not how much you do, but how
much love you put into what you do that counts.
...................................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip,
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu,
Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John,
Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala , India
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