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The Little Things
Lisa Beamer on Good Morning
America (If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said "Let's Roll!"
and helped take down the plane that was heading for Washington, D.C.)
She said it's the little things
that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came
home, and her children running to meet him.
Lisa recalled this story:
I had a very special teacher in
high school many years ago whose husband 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, "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 the Powers 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
anytime 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, is not the things we did that we often
regret, but the things we didn't do.
Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away.
Contributed by Paul
Thank you, my friend.
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