Best gift ever given

chanced upon this book in the library today after tuition. i was just browsing through and looking for books to read to kill time while waiting for lala to have dinner together. then i spotted this book and stood there for twenty minutes, reading every word inside.

it's hard to describe the feeling this book gives. i am really touched by the simple yet impactful words inside, as it is a true story about what the husband wrote years ago if he had an hour left to live and a second part written by his wife when he passed away recently.

what touched me most is the husband's favourite poem by Norma Cornett Marek:

Tomorrow Never Comes

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly, and pray the Lord your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss, and call you back for just one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would tape each word and action, and play them back throughout my days.

If I knew it would be the last time, I would spare an extra minute or two,

To stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming you know I do.

So just in case tomorrow never comes, and today is all I get,

I'd like to say how much I love you, and I hope we never will forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day

That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,

And you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear,

That you love them very much, and you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay."

And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.

Credits to son of Norma Cornett Marek, to whom this poem is dedicated to.

Some quotes taken from the book:

Happiness comes not from getting what we want, but instead from wanting what we have.

We teach best what we most need to learn.

The best things in life aren't things.

Mother Teresa - We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love

Small things can be great things when our hearts are in the right place.

Why withhold the gift of giving the most extraordinary kind of love - heartfelt appreciation?

I have felt it.