除夕三十和大年初一，是互相拜年的高峰。真诚的祝愿与祝福，让我们感受到友情的醇厚与甜蜜。其实，我们真正应该好好拜一拜的，是我们的父亲和母亲。
是他们，给我们生命，给我们温暖，给我们安慰，给我们力量，给予他们能够给予我们的一切。
是他们，为我们付出了艰辛，付出了劳苦，付出了思念，付出了一生，付出了他们可以付出的全部。
在我们的一生之中，还有谁能为我们做到这些？还有什么能比他们更为重要？
爸爸妈妈在，这个家就在，你就永远是个孩子，在他们面前。
他们不在了，这个家就不在了。你就不再是个孩子，而变成了真正意义上的父亲和母亲，开始新的一代。
父母对孩子的爱，是永远的。无论你走多远，妈妈的爱永远跟着你。无论你做什么，爸爸的爱永远帮着你。
这就是家庭：父亲和母亲，孩子们对他们的爱。
记得刚来这里不久的一天，儿子从学校回来，问我：你知道FAMILY 这个词是什么意思吗？我说，家、家庭的意思，这谁不知道。儿子说，我是问FAMILY这个词里每个字母的意思。
FAMILY = Father And Mother I Love You
家FAMILY就是父亲Father和And母亲Mother我I爱Love你们You。
那是我第一次知道对这个单词每个字母的解释，让我对家庭的涵义有了又一份理解和认识。
昨天，我的那位香港同学Juhnny在我的博客上留言，将他朋友送他的一首诗送给了我。这首英文诗，让我知道了FAMILY 这个词后面的故事。
下面这首诗，就是他送我的，我也转送给朋友们。一首英文诗，也算是为中国新年和家庭团聚增添一点国际色彩吧。
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?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
