QUOTE of the WEEK   
"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't 
need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be 
there." 
Author Unknown


THOUGHT for Your WEEK
This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her friend.
(thanks to Claire for submitting)

Dear Bertha,

I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring 
the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending 
more time with my family and friends and less time working. 

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, 
not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish 
them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every 
special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or 
the first Amaryllis blossom. 

I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, 
I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my 
good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the 
hardware store and tellers at the bank. 

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my 
vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and 
hear and do it now. 

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't 
be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted.  I think they 
would have called family members and a few close friends.  They might 
have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past 
squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner 
or for whatever their favorite food was. I'm guessing; I'll never know. 

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew 
my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters 
that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I 
didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love 
them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything 
that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning 
when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special. 

Life may not be the party we hoped for, 
but while we are here we might as well dance. 


QUOTES for Your WEEK:
“Happiness is a perfume which you cannot pour on someone without 
getting some on yourself.” 
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

"Let us never know what old age is. 
Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years." 
Ausonius

"Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead." 
Scottish Proverb

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the
life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases 
by being shared." 
Buddha 

"Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a 
permanently happy spirit." 
Norman Vincent Peale 
 
Thanks to Catherine Pulsifer