This story was send to me thru email by one of my officemate. The story is quite long but its worth reading. It touched my heart and made my eye teary. Read the story and learn from it.
> > I was born in a secluded village on a mountain.
> > Day by day, my parents plowed the yellow dry soil
> > with their backs towards the sky.
> >
> > I have a brother who is 3 years younger than me.
> > I wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls around
> > me seemed to have. So, one day I stole 50 cents from
> > my father's drawer. Father had discovered about the
> > stolen money right away.
> >
> > He made me and my younger brother kneel against the
> > wall as he held a bamboo stick in his hand.
> > "Who stole the money?" he asked.
> > I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Neither of us
> > admitted to the fault, so he said, "Fine, if nobody
> > wants to admit, you two should be beaten!"
> > He lifted up the bamboo stick.
> >
> > Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and
> > said," Dad, I was the one who did it!"
> > The long stick smacked my brother's back repeatedly.
> > Father was so angry that he kept on whipping my
> > brother until he lost his breath.
> > After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded
> > my brother, "You have learned to steal from your own
> > house now. What other embarrassing things will you be
> > possibly doing in the future? You should be beaten to
> > death, you shameless thief!"
> > That night, my mother and I hugged my brother. His
> > body was full of wounds from the beating but he never
> > shed a single tear.
> >
> > In the middle of the night, all of sudden, I cried out
> > loudly. My brother covered my mouth with his little
> > hand and said, " Sis, now don't cry anymore.
> > Everything has happened."
> > I still hate myself for not having enough courage to
> > admit what I did.
> >
> > Years gone by, but the incident still seemed like it
> > just happened yesterday.
> > I will never forget my brother's __expression when he
> > protected me.
> >
> > That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11
> > years old.
> > When my brother was in his last year of secondary
> > school, he was accepted in an upper
> > secondary school in the central. At the same time, I
> > was accepted into a university in the province.
> > That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking,
> > packet by packet.
> >
> > I could hear him ask my mother, "Both of our children,
> > they have good results? very good results?"
> > Mother wiped off her tears and sighed," What is the
> > use? How can we possibly finance both of them?"
> > At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front
> > of father and said,"Dad, I don't want to continue my
> > study anymore, I have read enough books."
> >
> > Father swung his hand and slapped my brother on his
> > face.
> > "Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it
> > means I have to beg for money on the streets, I will
> > send you two to school until you have both finished
> > your study!"
> > And then, he started to knock on every house in the
> > village to borrow money.
> >
> > I stuck out my hand as gently as I can to my brother's
> > swollen face, and told him, "A boy has to continue his
> > study; If not, he will not be able to overcome this
> > poverty we are experiencing."
> >
> > I, on the other hand, had decided not to further my
> > study at the university.
> > Nobody knew that on the next day, before dawn, my
> > brother left the house with a few pieces of worn-out
> > clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to my side of
> > the bed and left a note on my pillow; "Sis, getting
> > into a university is not easy. I will go find a job
> > and I will send money to you."
> > I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried
> > until I lost my voice.
> >
> > That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years
> > old.
> > With the money father borrowed from the whole village,
> > and the money my brother earned from carrying cement
> > on his back at a construction site,finally, I managed
> > to get to the third year of my study in the
> > university.
> >
> > One day, while I was studying in my room, my roommate
> > came in and told me,"There's a villager waiting for
> > you outside!"
> > Why would there be a villager looking for me? I walked
> > out, and I saw my brother from afar. His whole body
> > was covered with dirt, dust, cement and sand. I asked
> > him, "Why did you not tell my roommate that you are my
> > brother?"
> > He replied with a smile," Look at my appearance. What
> > will they think if they would know that I am your
> > brother? Won't they laugh at you?"
> > I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept
> > away dirt and dust from my brother's body. And told
> > him with a lump in my throat, " I don't care what
> > people would say! You are my brother no matter what
> > your appearance is?"
> >
> > >From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He
> > put it on my hair and said, "I saw all the girls in
> > town are wearing it. So, I think you should also have
> > one."
> > I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my
> > brother into my arms and cried.
> >
> > That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years
> > old.
> > I noticed that the broken window was repaired the
> > first time I brought my boyfriend home. The house was
> > scrubbed cleaned.
> > After my boyfriend left, I danced like a little girl
> > in front of my mother, "Mom, you didn't have to spend
> > so much time cleaning the house!" But she told me with
> > a smile," It was your brother who went home early to
> > clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand?
> > He hurt his hand while he was replacing the window."
> > I went into my brother's bedroom. Looking at his thin
> > face, I felt like there are hundreds of needle pricked
> > in my heart.
> >
> > I applied some ointment on his wound and put a bandag on
> > it, "Does it hurt? " I asked him.
> > "No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when at the
> > construction site, stones keep falling on my feet .
> > Even that could not stop me from working."
> > In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my
> > back on him and tears rolled down my face.
> >
> > That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years
> > old.
> > After I got married, I lived in the city. Many times
> > my husband invited my parents to come and live with
> > us, but they didn't want.
> > They said, once they left the village,they wouldn't
> > know what to do.
> > My brother agreed with them. He said, "Sis, you just
> > take care of your parents-in-law. I will take care of
> > mom and dad here."
> >
> > My husband became the director of his factory. We
> > asked my brother to accept the offer of being the
> > manager in the maintenance department. But my brother
> > rejected the offer. He insisted on working as a
> > repairman instead for a start.
> > One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder
> > repairing a cable, when he got electrocuted, and was
> > sent to the hospital.
> > My husband and I visited him at the hospital. Looking
> > at the white gypsum on his leg, I grumbled, "Why did
> > you reject the offer of being a manager? Managers
> > won't do something dangerous like that. Now look at
> > you, You ar suffering a serious injury. Why didn't you
> > just listen to us?"
> >
> > With a serious __expression on his face, he defended
> > his decision, "Think of brother-in-law. He just
> > became the director, and I being uneducated, and would
> > become a manager, what kind of rumors would fly
> > around?"
> > My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I
> > said, "But you lack in education only because of me!"
> > "Why do you talk about the past?" he said and then he
> > held my hand.
> >
> > That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years
> > old.
> > My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer
> > girl from the village.
> > During the wedding reception, the master of ceremonies
> > asked him, "Who is the one person you respect and love
> > the most?"
> > Without even taking a time to think, he answered," My
> > sister." He continued by telling a story I could not
> > even remember.
> >
> > "When I was in primary school, the school was in a
> > different village. Everyday, my sister and I would
> > walk for 2 hours to school and back home. One day, I
> > lost the other pair of my gloves. My sister gave me
> > one of hers.
> > She wore only one glove and she had to walk far. When
> > we got home, her hands were trembling because of the
> > cold weather that she could not even hold her
> > chopsticks. >From that day on, I swore that as long as
> > I live, I would take care of my sister and will always
> > be good to her."
> > Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their
> > attention to me.
> > I found it hard to speak, "In my whole life, the one I
> > would like to thank most is my brother," And in this
> > happy occasion,in front of the crowd, tears were
> > rolling down my face again.
> >
> > Love and care for the one you love every single days
> > of your life. You may think what you did is just a
> > small deed, but to that someone, it may mean a lot.
> > Have a nice day everyone! May this story inspire you
> > in any way!
> >
> >
