| Things to Live For |
Chapter 8 |
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One morning, as the child stood holding his mother’s hand, the bird began to sing, and the notes came into the chamber very faintly; and yet as he watched the sufferer’s face, he saw an expression of pain sweep over it. She said nothing, but the boy needed no words to tell him that the bird’s singing was distressing her. “It is no music to me,” he said, “if it pains my mother.” So he took the cage, and, carrying it away, gave the bird to a friend. “But you loved the bird,” his mother said, when she learned what he had done. “Yes,” he replied; “but I love you more.”
That was a beautiful thing to do. It told of true thoughtfulness in the child. His personal pleasure must be sacrificed because gratifying it gave pain to one who was dear to him. This is the spirit which should characterize every one. We should repress in ourselves the tastes which are not agreeable to our friends. We should cut off the habits which hurt the sensitive hearts whose happiness is dear to us. We should put away the things in us, whatever the cost may be, which give pain to our loved ones.
This spirit will lead us to regard the feelings of others with most gentle care. If one is lying ill in our home, it will make us quiet in our movements through the house, that we may not disturb the sick one. If a friend is in any trouble, it will make us kindly in all our treatment of him. If one has some weakness or deformity, it will make us guard against any allusion to the defect or disfigurement, which would give mortification to the unfortunate person.
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