When my father’s life was coming to a close he wrote the following letter to me. The personal beginning and ending have been omitted but I believe that the rest is wisdom anyone can appreciate.
· Be pleasant and courteous to those less fortunate than you, the genuine smile they reward you with will last you a long time
· Never show a mean nature
· Don’t brood over problems, either fix them or forget them for good
· Enjoy life every minute as you are living it, don’t wait for an uncertain retirement to start living
· Remember – these are the days you will think about and you will call them The Good Old Days
· Never say an angry word to somebody, you may find you were judging them wrongly and perhaps lost somebody who could have been a friend for life
· You don’t have to go to church to adopt Christian values
· If you lend somebody twenty dollars and never see them again it was probably the best money you ever spent
· If you have to borrow money, repay it on time with a smile and sincere thanks
· If you’re not sure how to handle a situation try to imagine how somebody you respect and admire would handle it
· Always consider other people’s feelings before your own
· Never be late, it wastes other people’s time
· Make some really good friends even if you don’t see them often. You need them when you go through the rough parts of life.
· Never gossip, it gives you a bad reputation
· Give advice freely and carefully only when asked, but never tell anyone what they should do
· Always take pride in your appearance, even if you are only house cleaning
· Only impress people by being your normal self
· Remember friends and families birthdays
· Always remember your please and thank yous
· Do the difficult or unpleasant jobs today, you will sleep better
· Don’t be untidy, it reflects an untidy mind
· If you do something, give it your best
It’s all about life and making the most of it. Go forth and enjoy.
I really enjoyed that. People waste their lives reading self help books and your father gave them all they need in a few lines.
ReplyDeleteTrue, he makes it sound so simple and in fact it really is! I'm glad you enjoyed this :-)
Deleteif everyone lived their life like these words wouldnt the world be a wonderful place. All of the people I have met have never fulfilled this unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI try to live this mannerism more and more each day. He sounds like a wonderful person to have been a delight to meet.
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