FAMILY

FAMILY

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."

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?




Dear Mountain Wings,

I just had to respond to today's MountainWings article.
I shared this with all my friends. Your messages are really
great, and I can't wait to see what you've sent each day when I
turn on my computer. Today's was especially bittersweet to me
and I just had to tell you why.

This touched home and my heart deeply. The morning my son Roland died I had gotten very irritated with him. He was an
easy going laid back little six-year-old, he took his sweet time with everything; nothing could make him rush around.

That morning had been especially hard, I was pressed for time having to be at work by 7:45 am, stressed because I was handling the office all by myself for the first time since I had started working there, tired because although I was married I did
everything by myself since my ex-husband wouldn't help in any way, and I couldn't get Roli to get going. And I still had to get him and his brother to the sitter so I could be at work on time. After telling him to hurry several times as I got his younger brother of 4 ready, I swatted Roli's behind to let him know I was serious.

Next time I saw my son he was purple from lack of oxygen in his body, on a gurney, on his way into the town's hospital. He had been run over by a school bus. He died a few hours later.
This scenario haunted me for years after his death.

How I wished I would have hugged him and kissed him instead. That's what I would have done had I known that would be the last time I'd have him alive.

Friends, let us remember to never be so angry at those we love, family or friends, that we do things we may regret later. Let's remember to hug, kiss, and tell them we love them every day. We
never know when the last time will be that we will see that loved one.
I love you all very very much

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#5263 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
A MountainWings Original by Margarita Blazier, Brenham, TX~
Daily issue in larger type Go To: http://www.mountainwings.com
****************************************************************
MountainWings, POBox 43725, 120 Selig Dr., Atlanta, GA 30336 USA