I just received this from a friend and thought it was so meaningful in light of Robin's passing. I need to remind myself that we are ALL family, not just the ones I see every day...
F A M I L Y
I ran into a stranger as he passed me by, "Oh excuse me please"
was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for
you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I. We said good-bye
and went on our way. At home a different story is told of how we
treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood
beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown. He walked away, his
little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake 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 he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink,
yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small and now my tears began to
fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one,
wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I
found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like
you. I knew you'd like em, especially the blue." I said, "Son, I'm very
sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that
way." He said, "Oh, Mum, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said,
"Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
*******
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we
are workin! g for co uld easily replace us in a matter of days. But
the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own
family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind
the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
F A M I L Y
I ran into a stranger as he passed me by, "Oh excuse me please"
was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for
you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I. We said good-bye
and went on our way. At home a different story is told of how we
treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood
beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown. He walked away, his
little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake 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 he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink,
yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small and now my tears began to
fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one,
wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I
found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like
you. I knew you'd like em, especially the blue." I said, "Son, I'm very
sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that
way." He said, "Oh, Mum, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said,
"Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
*******
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we
are workin! g for co uld easily replace us in a matter of days. But
the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own
family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind
the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
That is so true.
