I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't really watching for you." We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye. But at home a different story is told, how we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my daughter stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked her down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown. She walked away, her little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake that night in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers she brought for you. She picked them herself: pink, yellow, and blue. She stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise. You never saw the tears that filled her little eyes." By this time, I was feeling very small, and then my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her bed; "Wake up little one, wake up," I said. "Are these the flowers you picked for me?" She smiled, "I found 'em out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. Knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue." I said, "Daughter, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue." Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days, but the family we left behind will feel the loss the rest of our lives. Have you ever thought of what the word "FAMILY" really stands for? Take a closer look at the word: "F"=Father "A"=and "M"=Mother "I"=I "L"=Love "Y"=You. |
