One day, he received a call informing him that his mother’s health had declined significantly. Rushing to the nursing home, he found her looking frail and emotionless. When he entered the room, she made a few final requests. She said, “I frequently felt like I was going to suffocate and needed new fans,” and added, “I went to bed starving on several occasions since the food had beyond its expiration date.”

The son, shocked, asked why she hadn’t told him these things sooner. With a calm voice, she said, “I know I will die, but I think of you when your children won’t want you near them either…they will bring you here.” She looked directly at him, her words filled with painful wisdom. “You receive out of anything that you put into it.”

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