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...