Friday, August 31, 2007

Brother Like That

A man named Brijesh received an automobile from his brother as a Diwali present. On Diwali when Brijesh came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining new car admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

Brijesh nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Diwali." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated.

Of course Brijesh knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what this lad said jarred Brijesh all the way down to his heels.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Brijesh looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"

"Oh yes, I'd love that." After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow and said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"

Brijesh smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Brijesh was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Brijesh heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Diwali and it didn't cost him a rupee. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it...and you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Diwali celebrations that I've been trying to tell you about."

Brijesh got out and lifted the lad into the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Diwali, Brijesh learned what it meant when He had said: "It's more blessed to give..."

Remain blessed