Merry Wednesday!

 

Anna and Abe are the best at celebrating!

Every day is a special occasion.

I came upon this thought recently from a talk given by the prophet of my church, Thomas Monson. He is very similar to the pope (in the news!) of the Catholic church. Below is an excerpt I really liked.

I remember reading the account of a man who, just after the passing of his wife, opened her dresser drawer and found there an item of clothing she had purchased when they visited the eastern part of the United States nine years earlier. She had not worn it but was saving it for a special occasion. Now, of course, that occasion would never come.

In relating the experience to a friend, the husband of the deceased wife said, “Don’t save something only for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.”

That friend later said those words changed her life. They helped her cease putting off the things most important to her. Said she: “Now I spend more time with my family. I use crystal glasses every day. I’ll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket if I feel like it. The words ‘someday’ and ‘one day’ are fading from my vocabulary. Now I take the time to call my relatives and closest friends. I’ve called old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I tell my family members how much I love them. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute is special.”

I try not to wish my life away, but I certainly am not celebrating it like I should. Lately, it seems like I am quite often struggling just to get by: hoping to get some lunch or sleep at night, wondering when I will get the next trauma patient discharged, or awaiting 5:00 when I can hope to maybe go home soon if I don’t get any new patients.

But, this thought is a good reminder for me to take time to remember the important things in my life and to be grateful for what I have. Things like family, health, talents, and opportunities. On long days at work, remembering that although there is a lot of stress and responsibility that comes with my skills, that I am lucky to be one of only a handful of people in the entire state who can treat these patients. And that hopefully at some point I will get to see Abe after my 10+ hours at work(and usually even longer for him).

So, I guess I’ll get out those fancy clothes for a night at home with Abe (what better reason to dress up?), wear make-up a little more often to work (even if I am just wearing scrubs and a pony tail), make a cake just because, and I really probably should try using our china at least once!

Even better would be to send a note or card to a loved one or call just to say hi instead of only to say “Happy Birthday” or “Merry Christmas.”