Family
佚名 / Anonymous
I ran into a stranger as he passed by.“I’m so sorry！” was my reply. Then he said，“Excuse me too...I wasn’t even watching for you.” We were very polite， this stranger and I. Then we went on our ways after saying good-bye.
But at home， a different story is told. How we tread our loved ones， young and old. Later， in the kitchen， as I cooked our meal， my daughter crept up to me， very still. When I turned， I nearly knocked her down. “Get out of the way！” I barked with a frown. She sauntered away，with her little heart broken. I didn’t realize how harshly I’d spoken.
That night， as I lay awake in bed， God’s quiet voice spoke to me and said， “While dealing with a stranger， you’re calm and polite， but with those you love， you’re quick to excite...Go and look right now 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 there quietly， not to spoil your surprise， and you never saw the tears in her eyes.”
By this time， I felt sad and small and now my own tears had begun to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her bed， “Wake up， sweetheart， wake up，” I said， “Are these the flowers you picked for me？” She smiled，“I found them out by the tree， I wrapped them in a napkin， just for you. I knew you’d like them. Especially the blue.” I said， “I’m so sorry that I missed them today...And I shouldn’t have fussed at you that way.”
And she whispered， “Mommy， that’s okay...I still love you any way.” I hugged her and said， “I love you too...And I love my flowers， especially the blue.”
Are you aware that： If you die tomorrow， the company that you are working for could easily replace you in a matter of days. But the family you leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it， we pour ourselves more into our work than into our families—an unwise investment indeed.