Grateful for mother’s hands

A young man, who had just graduated from university with excellent grades, applied for a management trainee position at a supermarket belonging to a large retail chain.

With his knowledge, he quickly passed the preliminary rounds. The recruiters at the retail chain highly praised his demeanor and potential. In the final round, the Sales Director himself interviewed the potential candidates to make the final decision.

The Director discovered from the young man’s CV that throughout his academic years, he consistently achieved excellent results. From high school to university and graduation exams, there was not a single year that this young man did not receive the “excellent” title.

The Director asked, “Did you ever receive a scholarship from the school?”

“Sir, although I was an excellent student, I never received a scholarship from the school,” the young man replied.

The Director then asked, “So your father paid all your tuition fees, right?”

The young man replied, “My father passed away when I was ten years old. All my tuition fees since my father’s passing have been borne by my mother.”

The Director softly said, “Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that, but let me ask you more.” “So what company does your mother work for?” the Director asked.

The young man replied, “Sir, my mother works as a laundry cleaner.”

Hearing this, the Director asked the young man to show him his hands. The young man’s hands were quite beautiful and soft.

The Director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother with laundry before?”

“Never, sir,” the young man replied. “My mother always wanted me to study and read a lot of books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me, so she always wanted me to focus on my studies.”

Hearing this, the Director said, “I have one request. Today, when you go home, go and wash your mother’s hands. Then come see me tomorrow morning.”

The young man felt that his chances of being hired by this company were very high. He happily went home to his mother and told her to let him wash her hands today. The mother felt very strange hearing this, and mixed emotions of joy and sorrow arose within her. She then extended her hands to the young man. The young man slowly and carefully washed his mother’s hands. Tears streamed down the young man’s face as he performed his task. For the first time, the young man realized that his mother’s hands were very wrinkled, and furthermore, they were covered with scars and calluses. These scars must have been very painful, as the young man felt his mother shiver slightly each time he washed them in the water.

This was also the first time the young man realized how hard these hands had worked every day. These hands had done laundry to cover his tuition fees at school. The scars on his mother’s hands were also the price for his excellent graduation results, for his outstanding report cards, and for his future. Looking at his mother’s calloused hands, he was immensely grateful for all the good things that his mother and these hands had given him.

After washing his mother’s hands, the young man silently washed the remaining laundry for the day, even though his mother tried to stop him. That evening, the mother and son talked for a long time.

The next morning, the young man returned to the company for the scheduled interview. The Sales Director smiled gently as he noticed tears still lingering in the corners of the young man’s eyes.

He then asked, “Can you tell me what you did and what you learned at home yesterday when following my request?”

The young man replied, “I washed my mother’s hands as you requested, and I also realized that I should be the one to wash the remaining laundry in the family.”

“So tell me, how did you feel?” the Director asked.

The young man replied through tears:

First: I understood that thanks to my mother’s hard-working hands, I am who I am today. I am grateful for those hands, no matter how hard they worked, they never let me worry.

Second: I understood how difficult it is to earn money. What seemed like a light job, only when I did it myself did I feel its hardship. At that moment, I was very grateful to my mother for never making me worry so that I could focus on my studies.

Third: I became aware of the importance and value of family love. I am grateful to have grown up in a family full of my mother’s love.

The Sales Director said, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for in a manager. I want to find candidates who can recognize the help of others, who can understand the hardships of others when completing a task, and who do not make money their sole purpose in life. And a deep gratitude for things around you is the foundation for solid success. Congratulations. You’ve been hired.”

Afterward, with the knowledge and insights gained from the interview with the Sales Director, and with a heart full of gratitude, the young man worked very diligently and earned the respect of his employees. Each team member worked very industriously and cohesively. The business performance of the supermarket where he worked developed to an astonishingly high revenue compared to other supermarkets.