I recently read the account of a man who after the passing of his wife was cleaning out her personal effects and found an unopened item of clothing she had purchased nine years earlier on a visit to the East Coast. She apparently had been saving it for a special occasion.
The husband shared this story with a friend and concluded, “Don’t save something only for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.”
The friend was deeply influenced by that wisdom and reported: “Now I spend more time with my family. I use crystal glasses every day. I’ll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket if I feel like it. The words ‘someday’ and ‘one day’ are fading from my vocabulary. Now I take the time to call my relatives and closest friends. I’ve called old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I tell my family members how much I love them. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.”
Arthur Gordon shared this story from his youth: “When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say [into the phone], ‘No, I won’t be down. It’ll have to wait.’“When he came back to the table, Mother smiled. ‘The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said].
“ ‘I know,’ said Father. ‘But childhood doesn’t.’ ” A Touch of Wonder (1974), 77–78.
Have you been putting off spending quality time with those you care the most about or expressing thanks to that mentor, teacher, or friend who made a difference in your life?
What can you be doing to leave a Purposeful Legacy to your loved ones and to make a difference in the world you will someday leave behind?“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”-- Harriet Beecher Stowe
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