One day a man came home from work tired and frustrated from the day’s many challenges and problems. After dinner he saw his three year-old daughter blowing into a box, over and over again. He was trying to watch TV and the sound was very annoying to him. He yelled at his daughter to stop doing what she was doing. She looked up at him with a sad look on her face, picked up the box and walked out of the room. The father heard her bedroom door shut gently. He felt badly that he had overreacted but was just so tired so he continued watching his TV show until he fell asleep on the sofa.
The next day after dinner the little girl said to her father that mommy had told her a story about giving gifts just because you love someone. It was all very sweet and the man felt happy and grateful for his loving family. Then the three year-old daughter ran to her room and returned with a wrapped gift. The father removed the bow and wrapping paper and carefully opened the box. Inside was nothing! He was surprised and didn’t know what to say so he fumbled with his words for a second and then said, “Sweetheart, thank you for the box, you wrapped it so beautifully.” The little girl said, “Oh Daddy, don’t be silly. You can’t give somebody a box as a gift! Daddy, it’s a box full of kisses…I counted 120 kisses that I blew into the box just for you.” And then she kissed him on the cheek. The father had tears in his eyes. He realized that when he had yelled at her the day before, she was blowing her gift kisses into the box for him!
That night he told his wife what had happened, and he vowed to never again allow his fatigue or frustration or annoyance to dictate his behavior.