January 1, 2015
(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and
illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)
A friend died and we wore joy.
I just found a small button from many years ago, a souvenir
from a memorial celebration for a woman who I was just beginning to know before
she died early in life of cancer . Timmy and her husband, both balloonists, exuded
a joie de vivre. She made plans for her own memorial party and after her death a
group of friends gathered in New York City to celebrate her life. We watched a
slide show her husband had put together and we released balloons in Central
Park in her memory. And we all went home wearing a small button with a big
message, “Don’t postpone joy.”
How many times have we heard about people who are waiting
until retirement to travel or fulfill certain dreams? How many times have we
heard about these same people passing away less than a year after their retirement?
How many times have we not said, “I love you” or not spent some time with a loved
one because we were in a hurry? There’s always tomorrow.
Well…not really. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring but
we do hold power today—power to say “I love you,” power to make time to “do it
now,” and power to set the direction of our journey.
David’s Aunt Alice, who lived just a month short of her 106th
birthday, had a mantra that we heard dozens of times when we visited her. “Do
it now,” she would say and point to us with her index finger to add an
exclamation point. She sang, “Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.” The
video I made of her performance reached a huge audience when it appeared on
Josh Lev’s viral video segment.
Timmy and Aunt Alice, young and old, never met but they were
kindred spirits. Today I wear this button as a reminder to live joy each day.
Today’s gift is joy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can see the video of Alice here:
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