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, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel 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 have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted.

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 and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. 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.

by Ann Wells in the Los Angeles Times

Success At Life..

The best life is not always the one that has the most things, the biggest house, the best automobile, and the largest bank account. The truth is that the people who seem to have the most are usually the ones who are the most miserable. The best life is one where the person enjoyed the life that they had. They seized life by the throat and they live!

What is success in life? Success in life is measured by the people we have touched with our hearts and by those who have touched us. Success is measured in the richness of life. The person who has loved their family, who has smiled and laugh their way through life, who has truly enjoyed the moment that is the one with the best life. Success in life can be seen not by the monuments we leave behind but by the people who gather at the graveside and are thankful that they had the opportunity to call that person a friend.

We need to plan to live forever with God but we need to recognize that we will one day leave this world. Listen to me, live your God given life to the fullest. Enjoy the blessings of life and the rich relationships we have with the people God has placed in our lives and don't forget to let them know that they are important to you.

Now is the time to reach out and tell that person that you love them, that you appreciate what they do, that you are glad that they are part of your life. You see too often we put off telling people we love them. Too often we fail to appreciate the blessings of life until we lose them. Don't miss your opportunities. Do it now!