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Makes you think...

20 replies

Emmam · 08/03/2001 10:21

Wanted to share this with you:

If only I had known, 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 gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would never have brought 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 realising that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God 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 more "I love yous" and more "I'm sorrys"...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.

In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her fight with cancer.

Now, wipe your eyes, kiss your children and say a prayer of thanks for what you have.

OP posts:
Hmonty · 08/03/2001 10:39

I can't think of anything to say to this that doesn't sound too flippant. Was Erma someone you knew? Reading this does put those little niggles of life into perspective.

'Scuse me while I find a tissue

Bells · 08/03/2001 11:00

She was an American Humorist who died in 1996. I think Emmam's postings was one of her last columns.

Tigger · 08/03/2001 11:04

A very thought provoking piece, I'm suffering a severe case of the HORMONES!!!!!!! at the moment anyway, but that did make me think. Thank you for posting that Emmam.

Emmam · 08/03/2001 12:00

I didn't realise it was a few years old - someone sent it to me today, I hadn't seen it before, but it really touched me. One of my sister's friends is in end-stage breast cancer, she is not yet 30 and has two small children and so these words were very meaningful.

However old it is, its still very moving and still very relevant and I knew you lot would get it...you know what I mean.

Now lets all go to the Happy Happy Thoughts board!

OP posts:
Bugsy · 08/03/2001 12:00

Thanks for posting that Emmam - very thought provoking. It really is a privilege to be alive.

Marina · 08/03/2001 12:09

Thanks Emmam. A friend of mine - one of my oldest, we go back 25 years - has just had a mole removed from her leg after nagging three different GPs from her practice about it for several weeks. It was a malignant melanoma. They think they've caught it, in fact they're pretty sure, but as she said, suddenly she doesn't give a XXXX that it's her 40th birthday next year. She is counting her blessings right now and so am I. (Sniff).

Snowy · 08/03/2001 15:14

I spent the weekend worrying about Nigella now John has died (no, I have never met them). On Friday one of my students found out his mother has a brain tumour. I try so hard to count my blessings, not worry we have no money, and when i get that snotty kiss try hard not to wipe it away too quickly.

Thank you Emmam for reminding me how lucky I am.

Emmy · 08/03/2001 15:40

Gulp..........Im going to sign off now to go and play with my children...........

Star · 08/03/2001 16:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Tlb · 08/03/2001 16:46

Emmam

That is lovely and certainly pulls me up short as I've been spiralling a bit recently - it will help with the terrible twos I think!!

A friend of ours is recovering from Pancreatic cancer by having chemo on his liver...the good news is he is fit and fighting and the prognosis is a good one. Fingers crossed. We're only here once after all...

Kate71 · 08/03/2001 20:48

Thanks Emmam this puts things into prespective. I'm now going to log off and spend some time with my husband as my daughter is asleep.

Viv · 08/03/2001 21:07

Thank you Emmam, I'm just going to go and have a look at my daughter and watch her sleeping for a little while and say thank you to whomever is listening.

Emmy · 08/03/2001 22:39

Emmam, thanks for that, because of you I played worms with my children, and let them have tea as a wormy picnic! It was brilliant. i havn't folded the 5 loads of laundry yet but I did something fun today! Thanks!

Emmagee · 08/03/2001 22:41

All those mad ER fans out there will probably know what I mean when I say that yesterday's show (C4 not E4) had me sobbing. I'm 28 weeks pregenant and a woman on it gave birth to a 22 week old, it didn't survive. I know it's only telly but it made me count my blessings, this is my second and, touch wood, I have had totally problem free pregancies both times, had no problem conceiving etc and feel tremendously lucky.It's also brought home by some of the very sad postings on this site re-miscarriages, illness etc. I have printed out that wondeful passage Emmam to keep close at hand.

Kate71 · 08/03/2001 22:57

Time for my husband to finish his work.
Emmagee, yesterday's ER was so sad, it isn't often I cry at a TV programme but last night really did affect me. I have printed out the poem and have emailed it to a few friends.
Emmy you sound as if you had a good day. Too many times it is 'Daddy's are for fun and Mummy's mean business'.

Emmy · 08/03/2001 23:26

Cheers you two, I was at work and taped ER- havn't seen it yet!!!!!!!!!

Kate71 · 09/03/2001 18:22

Oops! Sorry. I'll try not to do that again.

Lil · 12/03/2001 10:35

Emmam, that was lovely, here's my contribution to making us think...

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:

There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death;
1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a ompressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly
apparent.

The following is also something to ponder...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you Are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roofoverhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this
world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in adish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Ems · 12/03/2001 12:36

Lil, Daily Mail reader? It's good though.

Lil · 12/03/2001 16:13

OK Ems you know how to insult a person. Its the effect of living too long in Epsom - I'll take off my pearls and twinset now.

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