Daily Inspirational Message for August 27, 2013

touchthatpalm

What if you knew you’d be the last to touch someone? If you were taking tickets, for example, at the theater. Tearing them, giving back the ragged stubs. You might take care to touch that palm.
– Ellen Bass
 

A while ago, I read a story about a woman who took her elderly aunt to lunch to celebrate her birthday. The aunt was in her eighties and rarely went out anymore, so she donned her favorite dress, had her hair done, put on jewelry and perfume – the works. At lunch, her niece explained to the waiter that they were celebrating her aunt’s birthday, and he made the whole experience delightful by flirting with the aunt and bringing her a special dessert. When they left the restaurant, the waiter kissed the aunt on the cheek, and she blushed and remarked that she hadn’t been kissed by such a handsome young man in decades. As they were walking down the street toward the car, the aunt collapsed on the sidewalk and ended up dying. When the niece later told the rest of the family about what had happened, she was able to say that her aunt had had a wonderful last day of her life. We are all wise to treat everyone we meet as we would if we knew that we would be the last person who would kiss them before they leave this world.