I had a very
special teacher in high school many years ago . . .
. . . whose husband
unexpectedly died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after
his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of
students.
As the late afternoon sunlight
came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class
was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her
desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her
face, she paused and said, "Before class is over, I would
like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to
class, but which I feel is very important.
Each of us is put here on earth
to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of
us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be
taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's way of telling
us that we must make the most out of every single day."
Her eyes beginning to water,
she went on, "So I would like you all to make me a promise.
From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find
something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something
you see - it could be a scent-perhaps of freshly baked bread
wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the
breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the
morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the
ground.
Please look for these things,
and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some,
these things are "the stuff" of life. The little
things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often
take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for
at any time... it can all be taken away."
The class was completely quiet.
We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently.
That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school
than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think
of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all
of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that
sometimes we all overlook.
Take notice of something
special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk
on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get
a double-dip ice cream cone.
For as we get older, it is not
the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't
do. If you like this, please pass it on to a friend, if not just
delete it and go on with your life!
Life is not measured by the
number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our
breath away.
