The special cap

One man had a business making caps. At night he used to make very, very nice caps by hand, and during the day he would sell them. People knew this was the place to buy caps for their families. They felt he was a very nice, honest man with a good business.

For some time he used to spend about two hours every night working on one particular cap, making it as beautiful as possible. This went on for two or three months.

The children asked their father, “For whom are you making this special cap? Every day you are working, working and working on this one. You are selling the others right away. What are you going to do with this one? How much will you charge?”

The man said, “I will tell you later who is getting this cap. Let me finish it first.”

He continued working at night for a couple of months more. During the day he would sell the other caps that he had made. He had many customers, but it seemed that no one was getting the special cap.

One day the man said to his family, “I have been making this cap only for myself.”

The family members said, “What! For yourself?”

The man said, “When I die, you will put it on me. I have to take something to God as a present. That is why I have been working so hard on this cap. If God asks, ‘What have you brought for Me?’ I will give it to God, and God will put it on Himself. God has given me this profession, making caps. I have never been idle. God will be so pleased that I have worked very, very hard, plus I am bringing this special cap for God. So, when I die, please put this cap on me. When I go to God, I will give it to Him, and He will take me to the highest Heaven.”

When the man died, the children did put the cap on their father in his coffin so that he could bring it to the highest Heaven. Something very nice he wanted to take to God as a gift.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Life’s bleeding tears and flying smiles, part 1, Agni Press, 2001
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/lts_1