The Stuff

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.

~Author Unknown~

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it. ~Author Unknown