A Thought For Us All

Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife
of Todd Beamer who said "Let's Roll!" and helped take down the plane
that was heading for Washington, D.C.


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 to meet him. She's now the Mom of a beautiful little girl,
Mary.


Lisa recalled this 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 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, is
not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't
do.