From: "Dennis Herrington" <da@xxxxxxx>
To: <ebunny_360@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Fw: Savor the Moment
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 21:04:19 -0500
----- Original Message -----
From: Mom
To: Wilma Hamilton ; Margaret Herrington ; Lyla Hamilton ; Lanelle Libby ;
Betty& Ken Leary ; Alene Penner
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 12:58 PM
Subject: Savor the Moment
This is long but well worth all of us taking note of and applying to our
lives.
Subject: Savor the Moment
DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING
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 especial 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 ofexperience to savor, not
endure. I'm trying to recognize these mo ments 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 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 often enough
how much I truly love him. I'm trying very hard not to put off, holdback,
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.
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.
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
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. Enjoy the
moment. If you have a circle of friends, don't be surprised to see this
more than once.