STORY OF APPRECIATION

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview; the director did the last interview, made the last decision. He discovered from the CV that the youth’s academic result was excellent all the way, from secondary school until the postgraduate research, not a year did he not score.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarship in school?” and the youth answered, “None.”

The director asked, “Was it your father who paid your school fees?” The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old, it is my mother who paid my school fees.”

The director asked, ”Where did your mother work?”

The youth answered, “My mother worked as a clothes washer.” The director requested the youth to show his hands, and the youth showed the director a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, ”Did you ever help your mother wash the clothes?”

The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books, furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than I can.”

The director said, “I have a request; when you go back today, go and help to clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The youth felt that as the chances of landing the job were high, when he went home, he happily wanted to clean his mother’s hands. His mother felt strange, happy but mixed with fear, she showed her hands to the youth.

The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly, his tears dropped down as he did that. It was the first time he found his mother’s hands so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises on her hands. Some bruises incited pains so strong that made his mother’s body shiver when cleaned with water. This was the first time the youth realized and experienced that it was this pair of hands that washed clothes every day to earn him the school fees. The bruises on the mother’s hands was the price that the mother paid for his graduation and academic excellence and probably his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother’s hands, the youth quietly cleaned all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director’s office. The director noticed the tear in the youth’s eye, and asked:

“Can you tell me what you have done and learned yesterday in your house?”

The youth answered, “I cleaned my mother’s hands, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes.” The director asked, “Please tell me your feelings.”

The youth said:

Number 1: I knew what was appreciation; without my mother, there would not a successful me today.

Number 2: I knew how to work together with my mother, then only I could realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.

Number 3: I knew the importance and value of family relationships.

The director said, “This is what I am asking; I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the suffering of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life to be my manager. You are hired.”

Later on, this young person worked very hard and received the respect of his subordinates; every employee worked diligently and in a team, so that the company’s results improved tremendously.