Betty Barr Boilesen

Life is a gift - Enjoy the present

 

Life is a gift - Enjoy the present.

By Doug Boilesen

 

Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present. -- Bill Keane

I'm not sure if my mom saw a Bill Keane The Family Circus cartoon panel or what its true source is, but if there is a single saying you'd associate with her, it's probably "Life is a gift. Enjoy the present." It's a phrase she believed and often used.

If Bil Keane's cartoon was the source, it wouldn't surprise me. Mom was always cutting out articles from the newspapers or writing down quotes she heard on the NBC's Today Show. She would tape articles to the inside of the kitchen cabinet or collect clippings in the drawer of her reading desk. She'd share these at dinner or perhaps just keep them to think about, almost daily mantras. I think they provided a richness to her day and in their own way were gifts to her, like ripe apples on the tree just waiting to be picked. In this case if she picked an apple of Keane's, she turned it into her own delicious apple crisp.

Other quotes that could have made the kitchen cabinet:

Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.--Oprah Winfrey

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.--Buddha

Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have. Spend it wisely.--Anonymous

This is the day that the Lord hast made...