How tragedies help

Tragedy sucks. It makes good theater, but in life it's hard. You can argue that life would be so much better if there were no tragedies, but would it really be better? Doesn't it take sadness to have happiness? Without one, the other simply becomes normal and eventually bland. I received the following in email a week or so ago:

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?

It's point is the importance of family and to always treat each other with respect. Great point, but the reality of familiarity puts this at odds with human nature. Which bring me back to the topic. The was a tragedy in our community involving the death of children - the most difficult to understand. These always seem to make people step back and consider their lives. Where are their priorities? Do they have the right balance? If not, people make changes. Spending more time with their families - less time at work. The battle is won, but what about the war? In a few months, as the pain fades, old habits reemerge. Day-to-day struggles take over and before you know it, you're back to the status quo - until the next tragedy.

So take time now to hug your kids, call you father, say something nice to your spouse - make time to do it now. </soapbox>