THE GARDEN

                                                THE GARDEN

Like the prodigal son in the Holy Gospel I asked my father “father, give me the share of the property that belongs to me”. My sibling got angry with me due to the request of mine to the father. My merciful father made a phone call to the family advocate for settling my share. This time my elder brother said to my father “for all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your commandment. But you are going to share the property to this unwanted fellow”. Father kept silence as his own asset. I got the share of the property. I received near 1 acre of land, which covered with different kinds of trees, which bears fruits, paddy fields etc.

            But I did not completely act like, the prodigal son. I built a wall around it, a watch tower and middle of that land I constructed a beautiful farm house.        

            Then I leased it to tenants for looking the fertile land. Due to the knowledge of ‘the parable of wicked tenants’ I arranged some legal works to protect the land. Then I went to abroad for my job.

            After one year, I came back to my land. Summer came to my farm house also, my trees started to blossom. Some trees are older than me especially mango trees. My farm and trees are crazy things to children.  Many children started coming to my garden and plucked mangos and fruits from there. Moral consciousness and pride of my inner heart proceeded together for an action. I waited for an appropriate time to catch children who were the culprits.

Time has come, one day it happened. Boys started to pluck fruits from trees which are there in my garden. Suddenly I went near to them running and with loud shouting.The boys started to flee immediately. Due to this, some of them put mangoes down form their hands. But I caught the hand of one boy. The boy got frightened and cried because of my angry and harsh face. I stood before him as a winner of a mouse and cat game. I saw mangoes in his hands and shouted to “put it down”. Because of frightening, unknowingly it slipped down from his hands. He said to me “sorry sir, I entered in to your garden and plucked fruits without asking your permission, please forgive us. I will never repeat these sir”. He cried and I looked at his face, it was like “a lamb that is led to slaughter and like a sheep that is before its shears.” I enjoyed his feelings and freed his hands. He and his friends flee away from   the garden. I looked at myself as the winner of tough game. I ordered my worker to put a board in front of my house as “trespassers will be prosecuted”.

O that night, I read a story of a garden where springs and summer never visited. After the reading, my great ambition was to make a beautiful fruitful and healthy and entertain garden for the children.

            Because of the words spoken by the 33 years old young man who influenced this world through his life and work.

“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is too such as these that the kingdom of God belongs”.