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.
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, which I feel very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, appreciate and give ofourselves...and none of us know 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 of every single day."
Her eyes filled with tears, 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 wonderful to notice . It doesn't have to be something you see---it coud be a scent---perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be leaves in the trees. Please look for these things, and appreciate them. We must make it important to notice them, for at any time, they can all be taken away."
The class was completely quiet. We all picked up and filed away our books, and then went out of the room silently. On my way home I tried to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all neglect.
Take notice of something special you see during your lunch time today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get an ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we didthat we often regret, but the things we didn't do.
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