I will try harder.

I have had a wonderful holiday - eaten too much, and slept too little, perhaps - but good none-the-less. What I had not done, however, was make the concerted effort to tell all of the people that are near and dear to me just how important they really are. I got lazy. I got complacent. It is sadly funny that we always think we have tomorrow to do these things but we may not. We cannot assume.

A friend of mine has just written about how important it really is to say what needs saying, do what needs doing, and do these things now--today--TRY!

I felt compelled to leave this comment on her post:

Well spoken and well written - a very appreciated reminder of the impact that we all have on each other...readily evident or not...and of the importance of articulating that...continually.

Try? Yes, I will. We all should. Honesty in both our speech and our actions, candidly and swiftly given, should be our custom.

I find myself thinking of one, particular Christmas greeting I received that touched me more deeply than most all others because it spoke with such frankness and sincerity that I was humbled ...and then silently, joyfully lifted at the expression of friendship.

You are right, I must not let one more moment pass before telling the person how very much that card meant to me. Thank you ...

The Saturday before Christmas I attended a funeral for a dear friend. I met him in 1977 and although we lived several hours apart, we had a close friendship that wove in and out of our lives, our relationships, and our friends for over thirty years. I will miss him. I cannot exactly remember when I last told him how much I appreciated him?

There were over one thousand people at this funeral and most of them were in historical attire, as per his request. His dearest friend, a craftsman known for his superb canoes, built his coffin. As his body left the church, the sidewalks were lined with those whose lives he had touched and a salute of flintlock muzzleloading rifles ensued.

We do not know what part we play in another's life. We may see one small part of this evidence by observing the attendance to a funeral but we rarely know about the small ripples. We cannot know if the kind word to a tired supermarket checker may be the one action that may tip a scales and help her face a seemingly insurmountable hurdle in her heart. I think of how discouraged I have been at times in my life and how it is the small, perfectly timed gift from the heart that can make miracles.

Yes, I will try harder this year...to say what needs saying, do what needs doing, and do these things with the haste of someone who knows how fleeting life can be and how important my small action can effect the surface of the river. I will try harder to make miracles.