Each day is a gift

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and
shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing
home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move
necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the
nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he
maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description
of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his
window. I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old
having just been presented with a new puppy. Mr. Jones, you haven't seen
the room; just wait.' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he
replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I
like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ...
it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a
decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can
spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of
my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the
ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll
focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just
for this time in my life