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 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 or 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.
From: Encounter Weekly
...The best way I can accomplish the task
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he
had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his
father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As
Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had
purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father
called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to
have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son
a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found
a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.
Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money,
you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house. Many years passed and
the young man was very successful in business.
He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was
very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him
since that graduation day.
Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his
father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He
needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at
his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to
search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped
Bible, just as he had left it years ago.
With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had
carefully underlined a verse, Matthew.7:11, "And if you, being evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly
Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It
had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he
had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation,
and the words PAID
IN FULL.
How many times do we miss God's blessings
because we can't see past our own
desires?
of sharing these stories is by publishing them
on my homepage... Thanks to my friend Maridela
for sharing these stories with me, us?!!!
From my heart,
Oceanrain (Roxana)
You can email me at: oceanrain.geo@yahoo.com