Striving Towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

When we were small and could not stand,
Our parents held us by the hand.
They fed us, taught us, wiped our tears,
And walked beside us through the years.

But few remember, when they grew,
Their parents needed care too.
They gave up sleep, they gave up rest,
To care for those who loved them best.

So now it’s our turn, don’t you see?
It’s not a choice—it’s meant to be.
Whether it’s easy, whether it’s hard,
We owe them care, we owe them regard.

But sadly, not everyone agrees.
Some treat it like an optional breeze—
Something to do when time allows,
Forgetting all the sacred vows
That come from simply being their child,
A bond that shouldn’t be defiled.

Too often, just one child will stay,
To help each night, to help each day.
The others visit now and then,
And think their duty ends right there.
Why do some care and others don’t?
It’s hard to know—it’s hard to say.

I knew a couple, kind and old,
Whose story deserves to be told.
They loved their daughters more than gold,
A love so warm, so pure, so true.
But love alone can not undo
The empty chair, the missing call,
The help that never came at all.

They gave their hearts, they gave their years,
Believing love erased all fears.
But love, without some helping hand,
Is like a house built on the sand.

And here’s the truth that time will show:
What we give is what we sow.
For one day soon, we’ll be that pair—
Old and tired, in need of care.
And if our children walked our way,
Watching closely, day by day,
They’ll do to us what we once did,
And we’ll become that old couple hid
Away in rooms that feel so bare,
Wondering why no one is there.

So while we can, let’s understand:
To care for them is not just planned—
It’s love returned, it’s duty paid,
It’s honoring the life they made.
For time moves fast, and one day soon,
We’ll need that same and gentle boon.