I generally dislike forwarded messages, especially the ones that tell me to forward them immediately to ten people or else I’ll probably go to Hell. If I dislike them, my husband despises them. So I was very surprised when he forwarded this one to me. I’m sharing it with you because it reminded me that Life Plan does come first. And for me, family is Life Plan. If you have been struck by the message in a forwarded e-mail, add it below. It might save you from a firey future! Ya never know…
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."
Whether you are just starting out, or already living the life of entrepreneurship, make sure your business plan doesn’t interfere with your life plan! You can learn more about developing a life-plan strategy by examining what you really want from your life–now and in the future.
