IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER by Erma Bombeck

 IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
>                       by Erma Bombeck
>       (Written after she found out she was dying from cancer)
>
>                   I would have gone to bed
>                 when I was sick instead of
>                 pretending the earth would go
>                  into a holding pattern if
>                  I weren't there for the day.
>
>                 I would have burned the pink
>                      candle sculpted like
>                       a rose before it
>                      melted in storage.
>
>                 I would have talked less
>                      and listened more.
>
>                     I would have invited
>                  friends over to dinner even
>                 if the carpet was stained,
>                     or the sofa faded.
>
>                   I would have eaten the
>                     popcorn in the 'good'
>                living room and worried much
>                   less about the dirt when
>                   someone wanted to light a
>                     fire in the fireplace.
>
>                   I would have taken the
>                    time to listen to my
>                      grandfather ramble
>                       about his youth.
>
>                I would never have insisted
>               the car windows be rolled
>                 up on a summer day because my
>                     hair had just been
>                     teased and sprayed.
>
>                I would have sat on the lawn
>                   with my children and
>                     not worried about
>                     grass stains.
>
>             I would never have bought
>                  anything just because
>              it was practical, wouldn't show
>                   soil, or was
>              guaranteed to last a lifetime.
>
>             Instead of wishing away nine
>                 months of pregnancy,
>              I'd have cherished every
>              moment and realized that the
>             wonderment growing inside me
>                was the only chance in
>                  life to assist God
>                    in a miracle.
>
>                When my kids kissed me
>              impetuously, I would never
>             have said, "Later. Now go get
>               washed up for dinner."
>
>         There would have been more "I love
>              you"s.  More "I'm sorry"s.
>
>            But mostly, given another
>               shot at life, I would
>             seize every minute...look
>               at it and really see
>                it...live it...and
>                never give it back.
>
>               Stop sweating the small
>              stuff.  Don't worry about
>              who doesn't like you, who
>                has more, or who's doing
>                      what.
>
>              Instead, let's cherish the
>                relationships we have
>                  with those who
>                   DO love us.
>
>              Let's think about what God
>                 HAS blessed us with.
>
>             And what we are doing each
>              day to promote ourselves
>             mentally, physically,
>               emotionally, as well as
>                    spiritually.
>
>        Life is too short to let it pass you by.
>
>        We only have one shot at this and then it's  gone.
>         I hope you all have a blessed day.
>
>                 *  * .(\ *** /).*. *
>                     * (\ (_) /) *
>                   * . (_/   \_) . *
>                    * .  /___\  . *
>
>         In memory of Erma Bombeck and many who we all know and love
who have  lost their fight with cancer.  Here is an angel
sent to watch  over you...
>         Pass this on to the people you want watched over....
>                             I did.

Charity

"If you want happiness for an hour -- take a nap. If you want happiness for a day -- go fishing. If you want happiness for a
month -- get married. If you want happiness for a year -- inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime --
help someone else." -- Chinese Proverb

What it takes to get anything done...

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do
it." -- Raymond Chandler

Puzzles

"All persons are puzzles until at last we find in some word or act the key to the man, to the woman; straightway all their
past words and actions lie in light before us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If people did not do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done." -- Ludwig Wittgenstein

Curiosity

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe
when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries
merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity."
-- Albert Einstein

The Journey

Life is not a destination; it's a journey. It's not a series of goals; it's a series of steps, of events unfolding as you make your way. Life is not all about accomplishment; it's all about doing, participating, progressing, growing, and learning. Mike Hernacki