When
we touch others with our spirit, in turn they touch our soul with
their heart. Sometimes
the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.
Time
passes, memories fade, feelings change, people come and go but hearts never
forget. Here are some beautiful words of wisdom from a famous
writer.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, famous writer from Colombia, and Nobel Peace Prize
winner for literature, has retired from public life for reasons of health.
He has a form of cancer, which is terminal. He has sent a farewell letter to
his friends.
It is moving to see how one of the best and most brilliant of writers
expresses himself and with sorrow. Even this would have sounded twice as good in Spanish, let us enjoy the English version nonetheless of
what he says:
If God, for a second, forgot what I have become and granted me a little bit
more of life, I would use it to the best of my ability.
I wouldn't, possibly, say everything that is in my mind, but I would be more
thoughtful of all I say. I would give merit to things not for what they are
worth, but for what they mean to express.
I would sleep little, I would dream more, because I know that for every
minute that we close our eyes, we waste 60 seconds of light.
I would walk while others stop; I would awake while others sleep.
If God would give me a little bit more of life, I would dress in a simple
manner, I would place myself in front of the sun, leaving not only my body,
but my soul naked at its mercy.
To all men, I would say how mistaken they are when they think that they stop
falling in love when they grow old, without knowing that they grow old when
they stop falling in love.
I would give wings to children, but I would leave it to them to learn how to
fly by themselves.
To old people I would say that death doesn't arrive when they grow old, but
with forgetfulness.
I have learned so much with you all, I have learned that everybody wants to
live on top of the mountain, without knowing that true happiness is obtained
in the journey taken and the form used to reach the top of the hill.
I have learned that when a newborn baby holds, with its little hand, his
father's finger, it has trapped him for the rest of his life.
I have learned that a man has the right and obligation to look down at
another man, only when that man needs help to get up from the ground.
You come to
love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect
person perfectly.—Sam Keen |
Say always what you feel, not what you think. If I knew that today is the
last time that I am going to see you asleep, I would hug you with all
my strength and I would pray to the Lord to let me be the guardian angel of
your soul.
If I knew that these are the last moments to see you, I would say 'I love
you'.
There is always tomorrow, and life gives us another opportunity to do things
right, but in case I am wrong, and today is all that is left to me, I would
love to tell you how much I love you and that I will never forget you.
Do
not look for the fountain of youth for you shall search in vain. But
drink from the fountain of love and you shall find youth.
|
Tomorrow is never guaranteed to anyone, young or old. Today could be the
last time to see your loved ones, which is why you mustn't wait; do it
today, in case
tomorrow never arrives. I am sure you will be sorry you wasted the
opportunity today to give a smile, a hug, a kiss, and that you were too busy
to grant them
their last wish.
Keep your loved ones near you; tell them in their ears and to their faces
how much you need them and love them. Love them and treat them well; take
your time to tell them 'I am sorry', ' forgive me', ' please', 'thank you', and
all those loving words you know.
Nobody will know you for your secret thought. Ask the Lord for wisdom and
strength to express them. Show your friends and loved ones how important
they
are to you.
Send this letter to those you love. If you don't do it today...tomorrow will
be like yesterday, and if you never do it, it doesn't matter either, the
moment to
do it is now.
For you, with much love,
Your Friend,
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Love is like
a precious plant. We can't just accept it and leave it thinking it is going to get on by itself.
We have to keep
watering it, really look after it and keep nurturing it.
When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive
to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
By Tim Pedrosa