Special Occasions

Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Special Occasions
(Playing ~ "Doe Eyes")

"Four things come not back:
The spoken word;
The sped arrow;
Time past;
The neglected opportunity."

~ The saying of Omar Ibn, Al Halif, the Second Caliph

You Never Know How Soon It Will Be Too Late

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 or the first camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I 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've 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 often enough
how much I truly love him.

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.

~ Ann Wells, Los Angeles Times

Think It Over

Today we have higher buildings and wider highways
but shorter temperaments and narrower points of view
We spend more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses, but smaller families
We have more compromises, but less time.
We have more knowledge, but less judgment
We have more medicines, but less health

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk much, we love only a little, and we hate too much.

We reached the Moon and came back,
but we find it troublesome to cross our own street
and meet our neighbors.
We have conquered the outer space,
but not our inner space.

We have higher income, but less morals ...
These are times with more liberty, but less joy ...
With much more food, but less nutrition ...

These are days in which two salaries come home,
but divorces increase.
These are times of finer houses, but broken homes.

That's why I propose that as from today;
You do not keep anything for a special occasion,

because every day that you live is a special occasion.
Search for knowledge, read more, sit on your front porch
and admire the view without paying attention to the needs.

Pass more time with your family,
eat your favorite food, visit the place you love.

Life is a chain of moments of enjoyment;
it isn't only survival.

Use your crystal goblets.
Do not save your best perfume;
use it every time you feel you want it.

Take out from your vocabulary phrases like
"One of these days" and "someday."
Let's write that letter we thought of writing
"one of these days."

Let's tell our families and friends how much we love them.
Never pass up a chance at adding
laughter and joy to your life.

Every day, hour and minute are special ...
And you never know if it will be your last !

~ FlowGo

I Want What She's Having

I have a new delightful friend,
I am most in awe of her.
When we first met I was impressed,
By her bizarre behavior.

That day I had a date with friends,
We met to have some lunch.
Mae had come along with them,
All in all ... a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented,
We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups.
Except for Mae who circumvented,
And said, Ice Cream, please: two scoops.

I was not sure my ears heard right,
And the others were aghast.
Along with heated apple pie,
Mae added, completely unabashed.

We tried to act quite nonchalant,
As if people did this all the time.
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.

I could not take my eyes off Mae,
As her pie a-la-mode went down.
The other ladies showed dismay,
They ate their lunches silently, and frowned.

Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Mae.
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
She ordered a parfait.

I smiled when her dish I viewed,
And she asked if she amused me.
I answered, Yes, you do,
But also you confuse me.

How come you order rich desserts,
When I feel I must be sensible?
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
I am tasting all that's possible.

I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I should.
But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on something good.

This year I realized how old I was,
She grinned, I've not been this old before.
So, before I die, I've got to try,
Those things for years I had ignored.

I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
There's too many books I have not read.
There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down,
And kites to be flown overhead.

There are many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes.
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and cokes.

I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray upon my face.
Sit in a country church once more,
And thank God for all His grace.

I want peanut butter every day,
Spread on my morning toast.
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
To the folks I love the most.

I've not cried at all the movies yet,
Nor walked in the morning rain.
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again.

So, if I choose to have dessert,
Instead of having dinner.
Then should I die before night fall,
I'd say I died a winner.

Because I missed out on nothing,
I filled my heart's desire.
I had that final chocolate mousse,
Before my life expired.

With that, I called the waitress over,
I've changed my mind, it seems.
I said, I want what she is having,
Only add some more whipped-cream!

~ author unknown

If I Had My Life To Live Over

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to
dinner even if the carpet was
stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in
the "GOOD" living room,
and worried much less about the dirt
when someone wanted to light a fire
in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to
listen to my grandfather ramble
about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car
windows be rolled up on a
summer day because my hair had just
been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle
sculpted like a rose before it
melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my
children and not worried
about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less
while watching television,
and more while watching life.

I would have gone to bed when I was
sick instead of pretending the
earth would go into a holding
pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything
just because it was practical,
wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed
to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months
of pregnancy, I'd have
cherished every moment realizing
that the wonderment growing inside
me was the only chance in life to
assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously,
I would never have said,
"Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love yous"
and more "I'm sorrys."

.....but mostly, given another shot at life,
I would seize every minute.....
look at it and really see it ...
live it ... and never give it back.

~ by Erma Bombeck

I'd love it if you would sign my guest book ... click on my picture.

Back to Site Directory for more browsing

Home

You may contact me by leaving a message in my guest book.