One of my dearest friends, Nellie wrote this comment on my last post.

"Amen Duchess,
Great post hon, and it is so true.
Mother Theresa said a lot of great statements. One I really loved was when asked what we could do to promote world peace, she simply said, go home and love your family!!
How very true, cause sometimes we can treat strangers way better than we treat the ones we live with everyday. We really have to check ourselves! Thanks for sharing this inspirational post.
Blessings, Nellie "

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Nellie's comment reminded me of a book I saw several years ago, at a local charity shop...a small pink book. Needless to say, the little darling came home with me and has been a constant companion of mine. The following story is printed on the first page of this book. Please take a moment and read this sweet story, I assure you it will bring tears to your eyes... good tears!!
If you would like to visit Nellie, you can find her at Nellie's Cozy Place.

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 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 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 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, Mum, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers,
especially the blue."