Monday Motivation….. January 08, 2018 (361)

Monday Motivation….. January 08, 2018 (361)
Since I was a little kid, my beloved maternal uncle (Ramanmama) used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct Answer.
When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, ‘My ears, Ramanmama.’
He said, ‘No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.’ Several years passed before he asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.
So this time I told him, ‘Ramanmama, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.’ he looked at me and told me, ‘You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.’
Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mamaji asked me a couple more times and always his answer was, ‘No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.’ Then one year when I was 18, my Granny died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my mother and mamaji cried.
I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw my mamaji cry. Ramanmama looked at me when it was our turn to say our final goodbye to my Grandmother. He asked me, ‘Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?’
I was shocked when He asked me this now at the time of family grievance. I always thought this was a game between him and me. He saw the confusion on my face and told me, ‘This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.’
He looked down at me as only a very close person other than mother can. I saw his eyes well up with tears because of his mother’s death. He said, ‘My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.’ I asked, ‘Is it because it holds up my head?’
He replied, ‘No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.’