Hello Steve, this is verry good. I like this. You know I agree. Thanks for sharing. Original message: > TIME TO THINK > 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 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've 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.
> A single candle can illuminate an entire room. A true friend lights up > an entire lifetime. Thanks for the bright lights of your friendship. > -- Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network. Visit www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
