One of the stories from childhood remains fresh in my mind. It is about a middle-aged woman and how she expresses her wish to God.

One middle-aged woman who is an ardent devotee, has two children. Her life is busy taking care of her husband, in-laws and she plays every role effectively.

She had the habit of celebrating every festival and was loved well by her family and friends.

During one of the festivals, God appears before her and tells her that He is very pleased with her and would like to grant her ONE boon.

Now, she is in a dilemma. What can she wish for?

She knew that her husband was struggling on his work front.

She knew her children had to study well to get a good education and get good jobs.

She knew her in-laws were not in their best of health.

She knew she could ask for her personal health or long life.

She could ask for anything that she could think of and it would be granted, but is there a way for her to ask for something fair that would help one person in her family and not the others.

She smiles and asks –

I wish my parents & in-laws are able to see their grandchildren take care of their parents while feeding their children in a silver bowl.

God smiled and granted her wish. And she & her family lived happily across generations.

I was amazed listening to the story and etched it in my mind. Only a woman who is true to all her relationships can conjure such a sentence and a wish, that even God cannot refuse! What clarity, what a way to structure a sentence that is inclusive, and addresses everyone’s concerns.