In a little old house down on a blue lake, lived a widowed carpenter with his son. He was an excellent craftsman, and from early on his son loved watching the father work in the little workshop. The sound of planing off, layer after layer, making smooth the surface of the unworked wood, was music to his ears. His father taught him all there was to know about the art of carpentry.
After the fulfilling labour of the day he often wondered if he could ever be as wonderful a craftsman as his father. Pondering another question that touched something even deeper, he asked himself, “After my mother's death, does my father really love and accept me?”
Once a week they went fishing in a simple rowing boat his father inherited from his grandfather. Skillfully the craftsman was maneuvering the wooden boat around the big, sharp-edged stones that lurked beneath the surface of the lake.
During the weeks before his 18th birthday the master often released his son early from work. Late into the night, the noise of hammering resounded from the small backroom of the workshop, where the son wasn't allowed to enter. The excitement grew and he wondered what his dad was building. About a week away from his birthday, the father left the village overnight to finish up a job.
With the father gone, the son was working alone in the workshop, when he noticed the closed door of the backroom. He played with the thought of taking a little peek. But no, he promised his father he wouldn't. Half an hour later after a fierce battle in his mind he stepped in front of the forbidden door. A rush of adrenaline went through his trembling body as he pressed down the handle, and entered. A big white sheet was covering up a rather long object, elevated on two sawhorses. He grabbed the end and with a smooth, soundless slide the linen fell on the floor. Wow—he couldn't believe his eyes. Before him rested the most beautiful wooden masterpiece he has ever seen. A brand new fishing boat, painted with a light but warm brown, illuminating the whole backroom. Having lost all awareness of time he examined every detail of the extraordinary gift. For a split second he felt bad, knowing it would have meant the world for his father to be here now. But the wonder of the moment brought him right back, thinking about a little test ride. There was no way he could wait for another week.
His father wouldn't realize and he'd still be excited on his birthday. So he took the boat down to the lake. It was a windy day, and the waves were higher than usual. He gently lowered it into the water and pushed himself off the shore with his right leg. The boat moved smoothly through the waves, and the feeling was even better than imagined. For a few minutes the young man rowed to and fro, before making his way back to the shore.
Almost there, a big wave suddenly forced the little boat high up in the air. He lost control, and with a loud crash the boat shot down. He felt a sharp rock working its way through the bottom of the boat. Cold sweat ran down his neck as he saw the ugly hole. What should he do; there was no way he could repair this before the return of his father. He put the boat back into the workshop, and shamefully looked at the nasty damage. After placing the white linen back on, he closed the door behind him, and felt as terrible as never before.
His father came back on the next day. The following week his son didn't speak much, ashamed of himself and fearful of his fathers reaction.
Well, as weeks usually do, so also this one came to an end. He woke up one morning, knowing it could have been the greatest day of his life.
After a rather silent breakfast his father smiled and told his son that he prepared a special present for him. The son didn't know if his father saw the hole. There wasn't any extra hammering to hear, but he felt too scared to say anything until he really had to. Together they went to the backroom. With his big hands, the father motioned to a long object, covered with a white linen. The sons throat dried up, his face fell sad and, unable to fight it any longer, he felt the hot tears streaming down his face. He still didn't know what he would answer once his father saw the ugly hole. So he took the linen, and with one pull uncovered the stained masterpiece of his father. But what was that? The son couldn't find the hole where he had seen it last. The beautiful boat looked just like the first time he uncovered it, elegant and unused.
With unbelief he stared at his father, realizing that he secretly must have been repairing the damage while he was sleeping. The father came closer, interrupting his sons thoughts and, in a long, warm embrace, kissed him on the forehead. With no further explanation he looked him in the eyes, saying, “Happy birthday, my son!”
