Someone sent this
story to me this
morning while I was
working on this
week’s column; it is
a lesson for all of
us:
A friend of mine
opened his wife’s
underwear drawer and
picked up a silk
paper wrapped
package:
‘This, – he said –
isn’t any ordinary
package.’
He unwrapped the box
and stared at both
the silk paper and
the box.
‘She got this the
first time we went
to New York, 8 or 9
years ago. She has
never put it on, was
saving it for a
special occasion.
Well, I guess this
is it.
He got near the bed
and placed the gift
box next to the
other clothing he
was taking to the
funeral house, his
wife had just died.
He turned to me and
said: ‘Never save
something for a
special occasion.
Every day in your
life is a special
occasion’.
I still think those
words changed my
life.
Now I read more and
clean less.
I sit on the porch
without worrying
about anything.
I spend more time
with my family, and
less at work.
I understood that
life should be a
source of experience
to be lived up to,
not survived
through.
I no longer keep
anything.
I use crystal
glasses every
day….
I’ll wear new
clothes to go to the
supermarket, if I
feel like it.
I don’t save my
special perfume for
special occasions; I
use it whenever I
want to.
The words
‘Someday…’ and ‘
One Day….’ are
fading away from my
dictionary.
If it’s worth
seeing, listening or
doing, I want to
see, listen or do it
now….
I don’t know what my
friend’s wife would
have done if she
knew she wouldn’t be
there the next
morning, this nobody
can tell. I think
she might have
called her relatives
and closest friends.
She might call old
friends to make
peace over past
quarrels. I’d like
to think she would
go out for Chinese,
her favorite food.
It’s these small
things that I would
regret not doing, if
I knew my time had
come.. Each day,
each hour, each
minute, is special.
Live for today, for
tomorrow is promised
to no one.
Not one hour before
I sat down to work
on this week’s
effort, I had
stopped for
breakfast at a
little diner in the
town where I am
working this
morning. The
waitress was smiling
and very pleasant
and seemed to really
be into her job in
spite of the early
hour. I commented on
her demeanor and
told her that
sometimes it was
rare to see someone
in such a good mood
in these times.
She told me that she
didn’t always feel
like being happy or
pleasant, but she
felt it was a part
of her job and she
felt fortunate to
have a job at all
even if it was hard.
I asked if she had
kids and she told me
that she had four. I
always carry silver
dollars around with
me, so I gave her my
last two and told
her to give them to
the ones whose
birthdays were the
closest. Her eyes
misted over and she
told me she already
had two that someone
else had given her
and so now she had
enough.
She started to walk
away and then came
back and laid one of
the dollars on the
table…. “I can only
use three…one of my
sons just died….so
we won’t have any
more birthdays for
him….”
I handed it back to
her and told her to
find someone to give
it to, they are just
silver dollars, but
lots of kids have
never seen one, it’s
really no big deal.
She picked u the
coin and put it in
her pocket and
smiled and we talked
about the questions
we want to ask God
when we get to
heaven. Or maybe we
won’t, who knows?
Maybe they’ll be
answered for us, or
maybe we won’t care
anymore.
The point was for
this lady and me is
exactly what is in
the story at the
beginning of this
column, we never
know what today or
tomorrow will bring
to us. None of us,
no matter how young
or old should live
our lives as if we
had all the time in
the world left to
us. The truth is, we
don’t know what will
happen to us
tomorrow or next
week, let alone this
afternoon. We should
enjoy today, open
those gifts, wear
that special dress,
use that china,
drink from that old
cup your grandfather
gave you….I think
he’d be thrilled
that you did.
Most of all tell
your kids, friends
and your parents how
much you love them
and appreciate them.
We don’t know what
the future holds for
us, so we need to do
the best we can to
be the best we could
before it’s too
late.
