Remember the Impression
Posted by: tz8cy5 <tz8cy5@...>
I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband
unexpectedly 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, "Before
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 ... and none of us knows when this fantastic experience will end.
It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's 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 any
time ... 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