Erma Bombeck wrote this after finding out she had cancer.please read!
If I could live this life over,
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner
even if the carpet was stained and 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 burned the pink candle
sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children
and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while
watching television and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility
carried by my husband.
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 a day.
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...
realizing that the wonderment growing inside me
was the only chance in life to assist nature 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 a lot more
"I love you's" and 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.
by Erma Bombeck |