Life is fragile, thought you
might want to pass this on to
someone who has forgotten.
A Story To Live By
by Ann Wells (Los Angeles
Times)
My brother-in-law opened the
bottom drawer of my sister's
bureau and lifted out a
tissue-wrapped package.
"This," he said, "is
not a slip. This is
lingerie." He discarded the
tissue and
handed me the slip. It was
exquisite; silk, handmade and
trimmed
with a cobweb of lace. The
price tag with an astronomical
figure
on it was still attached.
"Jan bought this the first
time we went
to New York, at least 8 or 9
years ago. She never wore it.
She
was saving it for a special
occasion. Well, I guess this
is the
occasion." He took the slip
from me and put it on the bed
with
the other clothes we were
taking to the mortician. His
hands
lingered on the soft material
for a moment, then he slammed
the
drawer shut and turned to me.
"Don't ever save anything for
a
special occasion. Every day
you're alive is a special
occasion."
I remembered those words
through the funeral and the
days that
followed when I helped him and
my niece attend to all the sad
chores that follow an
unexpected death. I thought
about them on
the plane returning to
California from the Midwestern
town
where my sister's family
lives. I thought about all the
things that
she hadn't seen or heard or
done. I thought about the
things
that she had done without
realizing that they were
special.
I'm still thinking about his
words, and they've changed my
life.
I'm reading more and dusting
less. I'm sitting on the deck
and
admiring the view without
fussing about the weeds in the
garden.
I'm spending more time with my
family and friends and less
time
in committee meetings.
Whenever possible, life should
be a
pattern of experience to
savor, not endure. I'm trying
to recognize
these moments now and cherish
them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we
use our good china and crystal
for every special event-such
as losing a pound, getting the
sink
unstopped, the first camellia
blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the
market if I feel like it. My
theory is if I look
prosperous, I can shell out
$28.49 for one small
bag of groceries without
wincing. I'm not saving my
good
perfume for special parties;
clerks in hardware stores and
tellers
in banks have noses that
function as well as my
party-going
friends'.
"Someday" and "one of these
days" are losing their grip on
my
vocabulary. If it's worth
seeing or hearing or doing, I
want to
see and hear and do it now.
I'm not sure what my sister
would
have done had she known that
she wouldn't be here for the
tomorrow we all take for
granted. I think she would
have called
family members and a few
close friends. She might have
called a
few former friends to
apologize and mend fences for
past
squabbles.
I like to think she would have
gone out for a Chinese dinner,
her favorite food. I'm
guessing-I'll never know.
It's those little things left
undone that would make me
angry
if I knew that my hours were
limited. Angry because I put
off
seeing good Friends whom I was
going to get in touch
with-someday.
Angry because I hadn't written
certain letters that I
intended
to write-one of these days.
Angry and sorry that I didn't
tell my
husband and daughter often
enough how much I truly love
them.
I'm trying very hard not to
put off, hold back, or save
anything that would add
laughter and luster to our
lives.
And every morning when I open
my eyes, I tell myself that it
is
special.
Every day, every minute, every
breath
truly is...a gift from
God.
If you've received this it is
because someone cares for you
and it means there is probably
at least someone for whom you
care.
If you're too busy to take the
few minutes that it would
take right now to forward this
to ten people, would it be the
first time you didn't do that
little thing that would make a
difference in your
relationships? I can tell
you it
certainly won't be the last.
I don't have to make up
silly stories about people
being hit by buses or crushed
by
falling
disco balls for not sending
this letter on. You've seen
the
result
of this neglect in your own
relationships that you have
allowed
to
fade, dissolve, and fall into
disrepair.
Take this opportunity to set a
new trend. Take a few minutes
to send this to a few people
you care about, just to let
them know that you're thinking
of them. It's even better if
they're not the people you
already correspond with every
week. The more people that
you send this to, the better
luck you will have. And the
better you'll get and reaching
out
to those you care about.
Here's the deal:
Forward this letter to at
least 10 different people;
within 1
hour of receiving it.
Do it, and reap what you sow:
luck in love, people who care
for you, and that warm glowy
feeling
that comes from loving others.
Don't do it, and suffer the
consequences
of being alone, wrapped up in
your own affairs,
and being too busy to do the
things you actually care about
May love litter your life with
blessings!
JUST SEND IT!!
"You've got to dance like
nobody's watching, and love
like it's
never
going to hurt."
"People say true friends must
always hold hands, but true
friends
don't need to hold hands
because they know the other
hand will
always be there."
-unknown
"Piglet sidled up to Pooh
from behind.
'Pooh!' he whispered.
'Yes, Piglet?'
'Nothing,' said Piglet,
taking Pooh's paw.
'I just wanted to be sure
of you.'"
I will not drag you along; I
will not leave you alone; I
will
stand
by you and have my hand there
for you to hold when you need
to.
"If you die before me, ask if
you can bring a friend."
- Stone Temple Pilots
Therefore , I tell you, do not
worry about yor life, what
you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will
wear. Is not life more
important than
clothes......... But seek
first GOD's(CHRIST's) kingdom
and
righteousness,............
Each day has enough troubles
of it's own.
Holy
Bible
Matthew
6:25-34
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