KEEPERS

[NYBUCK]

THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE THIS EMAIL WITH YOU ....

>> >I grew up in the 50's/60's with practical parents. A

>> > >>mother, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in

>> > >>it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they

> had

>> > >>a Name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed

>> > >>than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams

>> > >>focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them

>> >now,

>> > >>Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn

>> > >>mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for

>> >fixing

>> > >>things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven

>> > >>door, the hem in a dress Things we keep.

>> > >>It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All

>> > >>that re-fixing, eating,

>> >renewing, I wanted just once to

>> > >>be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you

>> > >>knew there'd always be more But then my mother died, and on that

>> > >>clear

>> > >>summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with

>> > >>the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

>> > >>Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and

>> > >>goes away...never to return. So... while we have it...

>> > >>it's best we love it... and care for it.... and fix it when it's

>> > >>broken..... and heal it when it's sick.

>> > >>This is true... for marriage.... and old cars.... and

>> > >>children with bad report cards..... dogs and cats with

>> > >>bad hips.... and aging parents.... and grandparents. We keep them

>> > >>because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we

> keep.

>> >

>> > >>Like

>> > >>a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There

>> > >>are just some things that make life important, like people we know

>> > >>who are special.... and so, we keep them close!

>> > >>I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper', so

>> > >>I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way...

>> > >>Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in

>> > >>your life. Send it back to the person that sent it to you if they too

>> > >>are a keeper.

>> > >>Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see

>> > >>them, but you know they are always there.

>> > >>Keep them close.