The high society lady was used to riding in her luxurious carriage, on the San Francisco streets, under envious and admired looks.

One day, the newspapers published that one of her aunts had passed away, and she, obeying social conventions, had to stay indoors for a week.

Indignant at having to stay for seven days in the enormous palace, she looked up her husband, the then-State Governor, and he reminded her that she could spend those days playing with their son.

She liked the idea. She entered the left wing of the palace, which has been assigned to the little prince, who lived surrounded by professionals of many different nationalities, in order to teach him other people's languages and practices.

When little Leland saw his mother, he exulted in happiness, and asked her why she was there at those unusual day and time.

She told him the reason and he, joyfully, asked her how many aunts were still left.

Leland was at the piano playing a ballad that he had learned from his French babysitter.

The mother, impressed, kept listening, for a few instants, to that ballad that sounded somewhat melancholic to her.

She asked the boy to sing, and he did it. She asked him to translate it, and so he did.

It was the story of a boy who, every day, would be taken to the shore by his mother, where they would watch his father disappear into the horizon, on his fishing boat.

The scene repeated itself on a daily basis, until one day his father's boat did not come back.

The mother took her son to the shore again and asked him to stand waiting, because she was going to fetch his father.

She went into the sea and her son stood waiting at the shore, for his father and mother, who never came back.

The ballad touched the great lady. She told her son that it was very sad. He answered that he used to sing it because he could relate to the boy at the beach.

The mother did not understand what the similarity consisted of and replied to the boy:

You have everything. You do not lack anything. You have a mother and a father, and you are the heir of one of the most important men in this State.

Leland melancholically replied: But daddy went into business sea many years ago and I can never see him.

You have followed him and I stood here waiting for a return that will never happen. As you can see, my history is very similar to that of the lonely boy at the beach.

From that day on, the lady stood closer together with her eleven-year-old son she barely knew and, because of that, learned to love him.

The close contact with the mother brought Leland a new spark. For a while, life has allowed them to enjoy the happiness of mutual affection, of experiences shared in each other's company.

They went on a long ship trip and Leland fell ill. The mother did everything she could to save him, but it was all in vain.

The ship returned and Leland could no longer see the mother with his physical eyes.

However, on that brief time together, the boy has taught his mother other values.

She built orphanages and other social welfare works to the needy community.

Leland did not inherit the parents' fortune, but the fortune yields fruit up until today, to the society of that State. Among those, the Stanford University.

*   *   *

No reason justifies the abandon of children by the parents.

No children will trade, willingly and in good conscience, their parents' affection for any other treasure.

Let's think about it!

Spiritist Moment Team, based on a speech
by Divaldo Pereira Franco.
August  30. 2010.