The Pocket Watch.

Once there was an old watchmaker who worked in a small workshop in the heart of the city. People brought him their timepieces from far and wide, for he was known to repair even the most hopeless mechanisms.

One day a young man entered, holding an old, worn pocket watch in his hand.

"Master," he said, "I inherited this watch from my father. It hasn't worked for years, but it would mean so much to me if it could run again."

The watchmaker took out his magnifying glass, dismantled the mechanism, and studied it for a long while. At last, he spoke:

"It isn't broken. There's no grave damage. It is only dust and neglect. A little cleaning, a touch of oil, and it will tick once more."

The young man looked at him in astonishment.

"So my father's memory is not lost? It doesn't need an overhaul, or new parts?"

"No," the master replied, "just care. Most things of value do not stop because they are ruined, but because we forget to tend to them."

The watch began to run again, loud and clear. The young man smiled, and in that moment he understood: he had not only regained his father's watch, but also the message that relationships, memories, and the bonds with those we love must be nurtured in the very same way.

Lesson:

The greatest repair in life is not the gaining of new things, but the cleansing of old treasures.