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 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.
>
>
>
> If you've received this it is because someone
> cares for you. 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. 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.
> 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."
>
>
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