Today - A Special Occasion

Since we moved from Colorado to Alabama last June, I have been sorting, and sorting and SORTING! We have a house in Colorado, a house in Alabama and a rented storage unit in each state--- Large storage units! All full!

We have saved all of my parents' thanks all of my husband's parents' things, some of our children's things and, of course, most everything we've ever owned. What is most shocking about all this stuff is that there is box after box packed with things saved for some special time in the future. Many have never been used.

There's a lovely bedspread my mother was "saving for good," a formal dress I've long since outgrown but have never worn, crystal glasses awaiting a special holiday (of course, I can never find them at holiday time) and the list goes on...

Well, we're unpacking it all and are using what we can now and giving the rest to others. God doesn't hide His best away. He gives it to us each day. Should I do less?

God has taught us in scripture to neither dwell on the past nor fret over the future, but to treasure the present. Today is all we really have and what a glorious gift it is! What a shame so many of us sacrifice the joys of our todays for some imagined future happiness. With eyes focused far ahead we fail to see and experience the beauty of now. Indeed, we may make "now" a drudgery to be endured, a time to bide until something better or more special comes along.

If you find yourself in a rut, step out of it. Firmly grab hold of this day the Lord has made and LIVE IT! It's truly special. It's truly yours. And it is priceless beyond telling. Don't let it be lost in a blur of "urgent" activity nor drown in a sea of regretful mistakes gone by. Every day is a new beginning, and thanks to the Lord's finished work on the cross, you have a clean slate!

Why not celebrate today as a very special occasion. Drag out the good dishes, linens, or other family treasures and let the family enjoy them. Wear that special dress, get your hair done, pamper yourself - and everyone else. Let your heart and your home reflect a festive mood. You are alive! Your spouse and children are alive. Your friends are living, too. Celebrate these lives and thank God for them.

Get out your hopes and dreams and revise them a bit to reflect what you already have. Think how many people would be ecstatic to have a fraction of your blessings. You are loved, blessed and alive. It's time to celebrate today... and don't forget to invite the Lord to the party!

A Story To Live By
by Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)
Submitted by Henrietta Johnson

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. 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 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.

You might consider taking a few minutes to send a link to this page to a few people you care about, just to let them know that you're thinking of them. Even if you choose not to do so, try instituting this new philosophy in your life. You may be pleasantly surprised at the differences it can make.

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