Hajja Salesjana

A young man went to seek an important position at a large printing company. He passed the initial interview and was going to meet the director for the final interview. The director saw his resume, it was excellent. And asked, - “Have you received a scholarship for school?” The boy replied, “No”. -“It was your father who paid for your studies?” - “Yes,” he replied. - “Where does your father work?” -“My father is a blacksmith” The director asked the young man to show him his hands. The young man showed a pair of hands soft and perfect. - “Have you ever helped your parents at their job?” - “Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, he can do the job better than me.” The director then said, “I have got a request: When you go home today, go and wash the hands of your father and then come see me tomorrow morning.” The young man felt his chance to get the job was high. When he returned to his house he asked his father if he would allow him to wash his hands. His father felt strange, happy, but with mixed feelings and showed his hands to his son. The young man washed his hands, little by little. It was the first time that he noticed his father's hands were wrinkled and that they had so many scars. Some bruises were so painful that his skin shuddered when he touched them. This was the first time that the young man recognized what it meant for this pair of hands to work every day to be able to pay for his studies. The bruises on the hands were the price that he payed for his education, his school activities and his future. After cleaning his father's hands the young man stood in silence and began to tidy and clean up the workshop. That night, father and son talked for a long time. The next morning, the young man went to the office of the director. The director noticed the tears in the eyes of the young man when he asked him, “Can you tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday at your house?” The boy replied, “I washed my father's hands and when I finished I stayed and cleaned his workshop…. Now I know what Photo by Karl Fredrickson - Unsplash.com Photo by Jonny Gios - Unsplash.com 8 April-Ġunju 2023 hajja