It Is Later Than You Think

Dear Doctor,

Please don’t be too surprised in getting a letter from me. I am signing only my first name. My surname is the same as yours.

You won’t even remember me. Last year I was in your hospital, under the care of another doctor. I lost my baby the day it was born.

That same day my doctor came in to see me, and as he left he said, “Oh, by the way, there is a doctor here with the same surname as yours who noticed your name on the board, and asked me about you. He said he would like to come in to see you because you might be a relative. I told him you had lost your baby and I didn’t think you would want to see anybody.” But I told him it was all right for me.

And then in a little while, you came in. You put your hand on my arm and sat down for a moment beside my bed. You didn’t say much of anything, but your eyes and your voice were kind, and pretty soon I felt better. As you sat there I noticed that you looked tired and that the lines in your face were very deep. I never saw you again but the nurses told me you were in the hospital practically night and day.

This afternoon I was a guest in a beautiful Chinese home. The garden was enclosed by a high wall, and on one side, surrounded by twining red and white flowers, was a brass plate about two feet long. I asked someone to translate the Chinese characters on it for me. They said:

Enjoy Yourself – It Is Later Than You Think

I began to think about it myself. I had not wanted another baby because I was still grieving for the one I lost. But I decided that moment that I should not wait any longer. Perhaps it may be later than I think, too. And then, because I was thinking of my baby, I thought of you and the tired lines in your face, and the moment of sympathy you gave me when I so needed it. I don’t know how old you are but I am quite sure you are old enough to be my father, and I know that those few minutes you spent with me meant little or nothing to you, but they meant a great deal to a woman who was desperately unhappy. 

So I am so presumptuous as to think that in turn I can do something for you, too. Perhaps for you it is later than you think. Please forgive me, but when your work is over, on the day you get my letter, please sit down very quietly, all by yourself, and think about it.

Marguerite

The Birthday Parrot

A guy named David received a parrot for his birthday. The parrot was fully grown, with a bad attitude and worse vocabulary. Every other word was an expletive. Those that weren’t expletives were, to say the least, rude.

David tried hard to change the bird’s attitude and was constantly saying polite words, playing soft music, anything he could think of to try and set a good example.

Nothing worked. He yelled at the bird and the bird yelled back. He shook the bird and the bird just got more angry and rude. Finally, in a moment of desperation, David put the parrot in the freezer.

For a few moments he heard the bird squawk and kick and scream. Then suddenly there was quiet. Not a sound for half a minute. David was frightened that he might have hurt the bird and quickly opened the freezer door. The parrot calmly stepped out onto David’s extended arm and said, “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I will endeavor at once to correct my behavior. I really am truly sorry and beg your forgiveness.”

David was astonished at the bird’s change in attitude and was about to ask what had made such a dramatic change when the parrot continued, “May I ask what the chicken did?”

Let Your Light Shine

A young man started his own business – a dime store at the corner of two streets in a small town. He was honest and friendly, and people loved him. His business grew and he expanded his store. In a matter of years, he developed his one store into a chain from coast to coast.

The successful businessman was taken ill to the hospital and the doctor feared that his life was ending soon. He called together all three of his adult sons and gave them this challenge: “One of the three of you will become the president of this company that I have built over the years. To decide which one of you deserves to become the president, I’m going to give each of you a one-dollar bill. Go today and buy whatever you can with that one dollar, but when you get back here to my hospital room this evening, whatever you buy with your dollar must fill this room from corner to corner.”

His sons were all excited at the opportunity to run such a successful organization. Each went to town and spent the dollar. When they came back in the evening, the father asked the first son, “What have you done with your dollar?”

“Well, Dad,” the first son said, “I went to my friend’s farm, gave him my dollar and bought two bales of hay.” With that, the son went outside the room, brought in the bales of hay, undid them, and began to throw that hay up into the air. For a moment, the room was filled with hay. But in a few moments, the hay all settled on the floor and the room was not completely filled from corner to corner, as the father had instructed.

The father then asked the second son, “What have you done with your dollar?”

“I went to Sears,” the second son said, “and bought two pillows made with feathers.” He then brought in the pillows, opened them, and threw the feathers all over the room. In time, all the feathers settled down on the floor and the room was still not filled.”

The father then asked the third son, “And you, what have you done with your dollar?”

“I took my dollar, Dad, and went to a store like the one you had many years ago,” the third son said, “I gave the owner my dollar and asked him for some change. Then I gave 40 cents of my dollar to two charitable organizations. I then donated 20 cents to our church. That left me with 40 cents. With them, I bought two items.”

The son then reached in his pocket and took out a little matchbox and a little candle. He lit the candle, turned off the light, and the room was filled. From corner to corner, the room was filled – with light.

The father was delighted. “Well done, my son. You will become president of this company because you understand a very important lesson about life. You understand how to let your light shine.”