Their marriage was good, their dreams focused.
Their best friends lived barely a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other.
It was the time for fixing things.
A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress.
Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.
All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful.
Waste meant affluence.
Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away... never to return. So... while we have it... its best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken...... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true.... for marriage..... and children with bad report cards..... and little dogs with bad health.... and aging parents..... and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things we keep.
Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special..... and so, we keep them close!

I don't know who the author of this was.
It was sent to me, just like I am sending it to you.
If you have someone you think might be a keeper, maybe you might want to send this to them.
Life is short, so keep them close.