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 even 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 daughter stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked
her down. "Move out of the way," I said
with a frown. My daughter walked away, her
little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I
had spoken. While I lay awake in bed, God's
still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger (society), common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you
seem to abuse. Look on the kitchen floor, you
will find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers your
daughter brought for you. She picked them herself, pink,
yellow and blue. Your daughter stood quietly not
to spoil the surprise, and you never saw the tears in her eyes." By this time, I felt very small,
and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her
bed; "Wake up, little girl, wake up," I said. "Are these the flowers you picked
for me?" My daughter smiled, "I found
them, out by the tree. I picked them because they are
pretty like you. I knew you would like them,
especially the blue." I said, "Daughter, I am sorry for
the way I acted today; I should not have yelled at you that way. " My daughter said, "Oh, Mom,
that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, "Daughter, I love you
too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
