Everyday is A Gift

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-
wrapped package. "This", he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue
and handed me the slip.
It was exquisite, silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an
astronomical figure on it was still attached.
"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never
wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is the occasion
He took the slip from me and put it on the bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the
mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer
shut and turned to me, "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you' re
alive is a special occasion."
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him
and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about
them on the plane returning to California from the midwestern town where my sister's family
lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about
the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.
I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed the weeds in the garden. I'm
spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever
possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savour, not endure. I'm trying to
recognize these moment 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, the first camellia blossom… I wear my good
blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out
$28. 49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for
special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as
well as my party going friends.

"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 my
sister would've done had she know that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for
granted.
I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called
a few former friends to apologize, and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she
would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing. I'll never
knowIt's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours
were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch
with someday. 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 daughter 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, I tell myself that every day,
every minute, every breath truly, is... a gift from God.
Prada Shoes
T-shirt