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July 8, 2006
- Day 4 - Week 14 - Today Is A Gift
Eleanor Roosevelt, remarkable
in deed and word, left a treasury of thought to
which we can turn time and time again for
inspiration and guidance. Besides all the other
good she did, in addition, she was probably the
person who got the flag magazine campaign going in
1942 called United We Stand. A fast friend of Henry
Morgenthau, then Secretary of the Treasury, she
undoubtedly approached Franklin with the idea after
hearing it from the Secretary. A wonderful iconic
figure of an era when too few women were given their
just do, Eleanor Roosevelt had a lot to say that is
memorable.
In reading about her I ran
across a dozen or so of her famous quotations, and
here is a little tip for those facing the daunting
words – you have cancer. Look at your story as
having three parts, and remember Eleanor’s words:
“Yesterday is history –
tomorrow is a mystery – today is a gift.”
It is not particularly
insightful to say: Can’t do much about what’s
already happened. Most of us recognize that we might
as well move on and not dwell on the past for that
only traps you in a web of sticky fibers, continues
the astute observer of the human condition. Also,
crystal balls and palm readers not withstanding, the
future can not be predicted with either clarity or
certainty. Tomorrow is a mystery is a truism
embraced by those of us who have been surprised by
life’s twists and turns; who among us can not stand
up and say I did not see that one coming? As with
cancer attaching itself to my body at age 63 I was
completely caught off guard. Tomorrow is indeed a
mystery and we can prepare, project, or plan, but
there is never any guarantee we are on target. Thus,
we are left with the third part of the quotation.
Today is a gift.
I can remember conversations
about life’s mysteries with my father after he
passed out in church, was revived, and was
transported by helicopter from Key Largo to Miami.
His pace maker failed, and though no fault of his
own, suffered terribly because of this near death
experience. He had been cruising along on one lung
for years, had played golf the day before, and was
ushering at church and had just sat down in the last
pew to listen to the sermon when everything shut
down. I can remember his vivid affirmation of an
age old statement – take it one day it a time.
I guess when you are in your
80’s you may see the world differently than when you
are in your 60’, 40’s or 20’s, but the principle is
timeless and might well be incorporated into one’s
daily mantra, prayer, meditation, or thought pattern
at whatever age we are. Today is a gift – today is
a gift – today is a gift.
If you and I approach each day
as if it is a gift we will enjoy our lives. When we
get a gift we are excited, we open the wrapping
carefully, at least after age 9 we are a little more
respectful of the paper, and we delight in the
offering, simply because it is a gift. The other day
a long time college chum of Katy’s gave her a gift
and it made her smile.
Each day, if I see it as a
gift, makes me smile. Today is a gift, and tomorrow
I will receive another gift. This simple philosophy
kept my dad going long beyond the medical
community’s expectations.
Back to Week 14 |
