posted August 25, 2006 01:37 AM         

F A M I L Y

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 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 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 family 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, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY
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 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 can mean?
F=father
A=and
M=mother
I=I
L=love
Y=you

>>>>>>I see this too often happening.
Families pushing each other apart.
Parents too stressed out for their children.
The scene above(without the lovely ending) was too
common when I was growing up. So my son did not
get such treatment from me. I got lots of handpicked flowers!
Of course in some dysfunctional families one has
no choice but to move on and "find" new chosen
family amongst strangers.

But to those who have good families.....
A rare thing it seems these days for many.
TREASURE THEM!
_________________

posted August 25, 2006 10:43 AM         

I think we have all been guilty of this with our children from time to time when we are stressed out or wrestling with problems that we become preoccupied with. I know I have done this at times with my own kids when they were growing up and my grandkids now.

But as long as it is not a daily pattern kids and parents are resilient.

posted August 25, 2006 02:17 PM         

Oh the feelings you get...
I was talking yesterday with hubby about this...
How I think a lot of people think it is normal to relieve frustration constantly, so it becomes a pattern instead of a safe place to vent, and then apologize soon afterwards.. your family IS there and you have expectations and intimacy... on a deeper level than with anyone... but I think it is taken advantaged of far too often.. we cross the line from correcting and disciplining and being allowed a safe place to voice concerns, to disrespect and a burden.