08/17/2026
The Empty Chair
Every evening, Daniel would pass an old man sitting alone on a wooden bench outside a small shop.
One day, Daniel stopped and asked, “Sir, why do you always sit here alone?”
The old man smiled. “I’m waiting for someone.”
“Who?”
“My son.”
Daniel noticed the sadness in his eyes. “Has he been gone long?”
“Twenty years,” the old man replied.
Daniel was shocked. “And you still believe he will come back?”
The old man nodded. “I don't know if he will. But if he does, I want him to find me here.”
Years passed.
One rainy evening, Daniel saw the old man still sitting on the same bench. But this time, there was an empty chair beside him.
Daniel sat down.
“Still waiting?” he asked.
The old man smiled. “Yes.”
“Why keep waiting for someone who may never return?”
The old man looked at the empty chair and said, “Because sometimes, waiting isn't about knowing they'll come back. It's about refusing to let love turn into hatred.”
Daniel never forgot those words.
Years later, the old man passed away peacefully.
The next morning, Daniel found a young man standing beside the empty chair, tears running down his face.
It was the old man's son.
He had finally come home.
But it was too late to say, “I'm sorry.”
Moral:
Never take someone's love for granted. Some doors remain open for years, but they may not remain open forever.
