A Story Too Late

A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked
up a silk
paper wrapped package:
"This", he said "isn't any ordinary package."

He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the
box.
"She got this the first time we went to New York , 8 or 9 years

ago. She
has never put it on and was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess
this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to
the other
clothing's he was taking to the funeral house. His wife had
just died. He
turned to me and said,

"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your

life is a
special occasion."

I still think those words changed my life.

Now I read more and clean less.

I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.

I spend more time with my family and less at work.

I understand that life should be a source of experience to be
lived up to,
not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal
glasses
every day. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I

feel like
it.

I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it

whenever I
want to. The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading
away from my
dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to

see, listen
or do it now. I don't know what my friend's wife would have
done if she
knew she wouldn't be there the next morning. This nobody can
tell. I think
she might have called her relatives and closest friends.

She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels.
I'd like to
think she would go out for Chinese, her favorite food. It's
these small
things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had
come.

I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I
would meet,
letters that I wanted to write.. "One of these days".

I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brother

and
sisters, son and daughters, not enough times at least, how much
I love them.


bring
laughter and joy into our lives.

And on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a
special day.

Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

If you got this, it's because someone cares for you and
because, probably,
there's someone you care about.

If you're too busy to send this out to other people and you say

to yourself
that you will send it "One of these days" , remember that "One
day" is far
away... or may never come.

No matter if you're superstitious or not, spend some time
reading it.

It holds useful messages for the soul.