98.
Retirement of the Mason
Once, an elderly
mason was ready to retire. He told his contractor about his plans before
leaving the house of the contractor to live a more leisurely life with his wife
and enjoy his extended family. The contractor was sorry to see his diligent
worker go and asked if he could build just one more house. The carpenter
agreed, as it was his last task. But his heart was not in his work. He resorted
to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to
end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came
to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and
said, “This is your house...my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked. If he
had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so
differently.
Moral:
Never take your work lightly.
TAGS: language development in children, Inspirational Moral Stories, very short stories with morals, stories to read for kids.