Fw: a true story

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> 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 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 have
>   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
>  and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care.
>  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.  I don't have to make up
>  silly stories about people being hit by buses or crushed by falling
>  disco balls for not sending this letter on. You've seen the result
>  of this neglect in your own relationships that you have allowed to
>  fade, dissolve, and fall into disrepair.
>  Take this opportunity to set a new trend.  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.  It's even better if
>  they're not the people you already correspond with every
>  week.  The more people that you send this to, the better
>  you'll feel.  So will those you've reached out to.
>