[at-l] OT - Heartwarming Story

[ATtrailhiker at wmconnect.com (ATtrailhiker@wmconnect.com)]

Greetings!
There has been so much going on in the USA, from remembering 9-11, to floods, 
hurricanes and election coverage filled television--I remembered an article I 
read after 9-11. I really like it and would like to pass it on here today. 
Hope you like it too! 

The important things in life!

A great story from Lisa Beamer, wife of 9-11 hero Todd Beamer: "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 powers 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 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 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. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the 
moments that take our breath away." 

I loved reading this and wanted to pass it along to you. I hope that you 
enjoyed it too.