A young executive was driving his new Jaguar a bit too fast through a neighborhood. He was watching for children darting between parked cars and slowed when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, a child appeared, and a brick smashed into the side door. He slammed on the brakes, spun the car around, and returned to the spot.
He jumped out, grabbed a boy, and pushed him against a parked car. "What are you doing?" he shouted. "That's a new car! That brick will cost a lot. Why did you do it?"
"Please, mister, I'm sorry," the boy pleaded. "I didn't know what else to do. It's my brother. He fell out of his wheelchair, and I can't lift him up."
Sobbing, the boy asked, "Would you please help me get him back? He's hurt and too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the man swallowed the lump in his throat. He lifted the boy's brother back into the wheelchair, wiped his scrapes, and checked that he was okay.
"Thank you, sir. God bless you," the grateful child said. The man watched as the boy pushed his brother home.
It was a long, slow walk back to his Jaguar. He never repaired the dent. He kept it to remind himself not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick to get his attention.
Life whispers to your soul. Sometimes, when you don't have time to listen, you must choose: heed the whispers or wait for the brick.
Do you ever ignore loved ones because your life is too busy, leaving them to wonder if you care?