Once upon a time there was a magnificent apple tree. It grew not far from one girl’s house. Its crown created a shade and sheltered the girl from the sun when she played next to the tree. She often dozed on its low branches and feasted on the juicy apples that grew on it. The tree loved and protected the girl.
But soon the little girl grew up and stopped coming to the tree. One day she came to it and wept bitterly, sitting in its shade.
- What happened? asked the tree.
"I can not find money to buy what I like," the girl answered.
"Take my fruits," said the good tree. "And sell them." You’ll have enough money to buy what you want.
The girl picked up the fruits and left, she haven’t come for very, very long time. The tree was sad without a girl, but now she came again.
"My husband wants to build a house," she said. - Help me.
The tree allowed her husband to cut down the strongest of its branches.
The girl left again. Years passed by but she did not come again, and nobody played in the shade of the beautiful tree. Then again there were steps, and the girl came to see the tree. It was no longer a girl, but an adult woman, and she was sad.
"To feed my family, my husband must go to the sea," she told the tree. "And I need your help again."
The tree agreed again. The woman's husband cut off big trunk and made a good boat out of it, and only a small stump remained from the tree, the woman left again.
But soon she returned.
"I have nothing more to give you," the tree said to her.
"I do not need anything," the woman said and hugged the stump. "Only calmness: that's all I need now."
The tree was happy.
The apple tree in this story is our parents. They give us love, care and they protect and provide. But many of us just thoughtlessly accept all this without giving anything back. We always need to remember that it's never too late to start caring for our parents, because in the end it may be too late.
Translated from Russian, author is not identified.