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It's The Little Things That Count

Lisa Beamer was recently interviewed on Good Morning America. If you remember, she is the wife of Todd Beamer who said, "Let's Roll!" and helped take down the plane that was heading for Washington, DC on that terrible morning of 9/11. She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home and her children running out to meet him. She's now the mom of a beautiful little girl, Mary, whose dad Todd never had the chance to see.
 

Lisa recalls this beautiful and poignant story: I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband 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, "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. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the Power’s way of telling us that we must make the most of our every 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 anytime 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 special teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we 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.

And so I say to you gentle readers in this New Year, "Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." God Bless you and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!
 
Your friend, Jim Cassidy    

 

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The Valley Patriot is a Monthly Publication. We publish 6,000 newspapers and
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Prior Columns by Jim Cassidy