Today she has moved to a nursing home. Her husband of 70
years recently
passed away, making this move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the
nursing home,
where I am employed, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As
she walked with her cane to the elevator, I provided a visual description
of
her tiny room, including the eyelet curtains that had been hung on her
window.
"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old
having
just been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the
room...just wait," I said.
Then she spoke these words that I will never forget: "That
does not have
anything to do with it," she gently replied. "Happiness is something you
decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not, does not depend
on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I arrange my mind. I have
already decided to love it.
It is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I
have a choice. I
can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts
of
my body that no longer work, or I can get out of bed and be thankful for
the
ones that do work. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I
will focus on the new day and all of the happy memories I have
stored
away...just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account.
You withdraw from what you have already put in.
I believe- "That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who
we are, but we are responsible for who we become."
I believe-"That no matter how good a friend is, they're
going to hurt you
every once in a while and you must forgive them for that."
I believe-" That just because someone doesn't
love you the way you want
them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."
I believe-"That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest
distance. Same goes for true love."
I believe-"That it's taking me a long time to
become the person I want to
be."
I believe- "That you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It
may be the last time you see them."
I believe- "That you can keep going, long after you
can't."
I believe- "That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we
feel."
I believe- "That either you control your attitude or it controls you."
I believe- "That heroes are the people who do
what has to be done when it
needs to be done, regardless of the consequences."
I believe- "That money is a lousy way of keeping score."
I believe- "That my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have
the best time."
I believe- "That sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're
down, will be the ones to help you get back up."
I believe- "That sometimes when I'm angry I have the
right to be angry, but
that doesn't give me the right to be cruel."
I believe-"That maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences
you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated."
I believe- "That it isn't always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes
you have to learn to forgive yourself."
I believe- "That no matter how bad your heart
is broken the world doesn't
stop for your grief."
I believe- "That just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't
love each other and just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they
do."
I believe- "That you shouldn't be so eager to
find out a secret. It could
change your life forever."
I believe- "That two people can look at the exact
same thing and see
something totally different."
I believe- "That your life can be changed in
a matter of hours by people
who don't even know you."
I believe- "That even when you think you have
no more to give, when a
friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help."
I believe- "That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human
being."
I believe- "That the people you care about most
in life are taken from you
too soon."
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