One family， which had emigrated from Japan and settled at the turn of the century near San Francisco， had established a business in which they grew roses and trucked them into San Francisco three mornings a week.

The other family was a naturalized family from Switzerland who also marketed roses， and both families became modestly successful， as their roses were known in the markets of San Francisco for their long vase-life.

For almost four decades the two families were neighbors， and the sons took over the farms， but then on December 7，1941， Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Although the rest of the family members were Americans， the father of the Japanese family had never been naturalized. As they planned to leave the country， his neighbor made it clear that， if necessary， he would look after his friend's nursery. It was something each family had learned in church: Love thy neighbor as thyself. \"You would do the same for us.\" he told his Japanese friend.

It was not long before the Japanese family was transported to a barren landscape in Canada. A full year went by. Then two. Then three. While the Japanese neighbors were in Canada， their friends worked in the greenhouses， the children worked before school and on Saturdays， and the father's work often stretched to 16 and 17 hours a day. And then one day， when the war in Europe had ended， the Japanese family packed up and boarded a train. They were going home.

What would they find? The family was met at the train station by their neighbors， and when they got to their home， the whole Japanese family stared. There was the nursery， intact， scrubbed and shining in the sunlight —— neat， prosperous and healthy.

And the house was just as clean and welcoming as the nursery. And there on the dining room was one perfect red rosebud， just waiting to unfold —— the gift of one neighbor to another.

20世紀(jì)初，一個(gè)日本家庭移民到美國，定居在圣弗朗西斯科附近，靠種玫瑰為生。他們大清早將玫瑰送往圣弗朗西斯科出售，每周三次。

另有一個(gè)家庭從瑞士遷入美國，也以賣玫瑰為生。因?yàn)樗麄兊拿倒宥家曰ㄆ陂L而聞名于圣弗朗西斯科，所以兩家的生意都不錯(cuò)。

兩家人做了將近40年的鄰居，各自的兒子接管了農(nóng)場。然而，1941年12月7日，日本偷襲了珍珠港。盡管家里其他成員都加入了美國國籍，但這位日本父親卻一直保持原國籍。于是，他們打算離開這個(gè)國家。鄰居明確表態(tài)，若有需要，他樂意照看朋友的花圃。每個(gè)家庭都在教堂學(xué)過：要像愛自己一樣去愛鄰居。他對日本鄰居說：“如果你是我，你也會(huì)這么做的?！?/p>

不久，日本家庭去了加拿大一塊貧瘠的土地。日子一年年過去了……日本鄰居在加拿大生活時(shí)，瑞士鄰居在花圃忙碌。上學(xué)前和周六，孩子們都要去干活，父輩們一天的工作時(shí)間長達(dá)十六七個(gè)小時(shí)。歐洲戰(zhàn)爭結(jié)束那天，日本家庭打理好行囊，踏上了回家的列車。

他們看到了什么?瑞士鄰居到車站迎接他們。踏進(jìn)家門，日本家庭所有的人都驚呆了?；ㄆ跃驮谀莾?，完好無損，一塵不染，在陽光的照耀下熠熠生輝。一切井然有序，呈現(xiàn)出一片欣欣向榮的景象。

他們的屋子和花圃一樣，一塵不染，迎接主人的歸來。餐廳里有一朵漂亮的紅玫瑰，含苞欲放——這是一個(gè)鄰居為另一個(gè)鄰居準(zhǔn)備的禮物。