A Special Teacher
I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago
whose
husband unexpectedly died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week
after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of
students.
As
the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom
windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on
the edge of her desk and sat down there.
With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and
said, "Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a
thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important.
Each
of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give
of ourselves... and none of us knows when this fantastic experience
will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's way
of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day."
Her
eyes beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you all to make
me a promise... from now on, on your way to school, or on your way
home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be
something you see - it could be a scent - perhaps of freshly baked
bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the
breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the
morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground.
Please, look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may
sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little
things we are put here on earth to enjoy.
The things we often take for granted. We must make it
important to notice them, for at any time... it can all be taken away."
The
class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of
the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home
from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I
think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all
of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we
all overlook. Take notice of something special you see on your lunch
hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on
the way home tonight to get a double-dip ice cream cone.
For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we
often regret, but the things we didn't do.
