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 watching for you."

We were very polite,
this stranger and I.
We went on our way
and we said good-bye.

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 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
that night in my 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,
and 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;
"Please wake up,
little one," 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, Mom,
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 working for could 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 to 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?