[The Weekend Grif Net tries to eschew humor and goes for mor=
e serious subjects. Trust this will move YOU to action.]
A Story To Live By=
(by Ann Wells, Los Angeles Times)
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nbsp;
My brother-in-law opened the bottom draw=
er of my sister’s bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "Thi=
s," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded=
the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and tr=
immed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on i=
t 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 sl=
ip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to t=
he 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 f=
or a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”=
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed wh=
en I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an un=
expected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California f=
rom 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 thin=
gs that she had done without realizing that they were special.
I’m still th=
inking about his words, and they’ve changed my life. I’m reading more and d=
usting 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 fr=
iends and less time in committee meetings.
Whenever possible, life should b=
e a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I’m trying to recognize the=
se moments now and cherish them. I’m not "saving" anything; we us=
e our good china and crystal for every special event — such as losing a po=
und, 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 ca=
n 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 t=
ellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends.=
"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their gri=
p 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 and maybe a few former friends to apolo=
gize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gon=
e out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I’m guessing – I’ll never kn=
ow.
It’s those little things left undone that would make me angry if I kne=
w that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends w=
hom I was going to get in touch with "someday". Angry because I h=
adn’t written certain letters that I intended to write – one of these days.=
Angry and sorry that I didn’t tell my husband often enough how much I trul=
y love him. I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anythin=
g 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, e=
very breath truly is a gift from God.
"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.
"Those who see =
the invisible, can do the impossible."
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"
www.avast.com