The Old Man without Heirs

An old man had spent his life building his acres into a beautiful home. He had fruit trees, a house, some pasture, and everything cunningly laid out to be more productive and more beautiful. He had done it all himself. He had raised his children there.

One day in the warmth of the sun he was walking in his orchard and started to weep. His wife found him there. “What’s wrong,” she said.

“I was thinking about how our sons have left and don’t want to come back,” he said. “They’ll sale this place. Strangers will take it when I am gone.”

She loved him and wanted to cheer him up. “Well,” she said, “maybe they’ll love this place as much as you do.”

But he was not comforted.