LET ME REALLY SEE

I was reading about Helen Keller this morning. One of my favorite quotes of hers is "Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it we can never do anything wise in this world". In 1933, she wrote an article that was published in the "Atlantic Monthly". In the article she talked about what she would do is she were able to see and hear for three days. On the first day she would "look long" into the faces of her friends, a baby, her home, a dog, nature in general. The second day she would rise early and see the "thrilling miracle" of the sunrise. The third day she would take in the sights and sounds of New York City.

She concluded her article urging her readers to "Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object you want to touch as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense: glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you.

We take so much for granted, don't we. By following Helen Keller's advice we would begin to be more relaxed and live more deeply in the moment.

I have a long time friend who is a Christian Brother, currently teaching in Africa. He sent me a Christmas card a few years ago, with a saying on it that went something like, "When we come to the end of our days and we stand before our Creator, one of the questions He will ask us is, 'How did you enjoy My creation?'." What would your answer be?

Now is the time to really start enjoying it like never before.

Jim Ryan

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