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?
* * *
A few days ago, one member of a dear family friend, the mum, passed away in Down Under. I've always had these jitters everytime when the phone rings during weird hours. It was Subuh time around 6+ in the morning. Mum was obviously shocked hearing the news as the latter is one of her very close friends.
I am close to the first two of her sons during my childhood years, but keeps in touch longer with the second one out of the 5 children she had. Now, without the care of parents, the eldest son which is my age carries a huge responsibility. The dad has passed away, a few years ago.
Now, if I were to travel there, I won't be fulfilling my objective to meet the mum anymore. I guess, it's not my rezqi to be able to be there when my parents had the chance to spend their time in Melbourne without me.
I have been reflecting, what would I do, if this happens to me. For a son who has younger siblings to take care of, the bond may be stronger. As for me who would be left alone, it is just unimaginable.
So this poem forwarded by a dear colleague triggered me to write about the fateful incident. But the mum passed away in her sleep. May Allah bless the sons and only daughter who are still young but strong beings of the ever challenging life. I can already see the maturity in them albeit the hardships they went through all this while. And reminiscing on my childhood days with them, I surely miss them all very much :o/
