Attitude, please read :) Lu

March 20, 2002

This really gave me a swift kick in the rear. Isn't it wonderful to be blessed with such a great attitude! Love you all.

Lu

ATTITUDE

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud mother-in-law

of my best friend, who is fully dressed each morning by eight

o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly

applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing

home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away,

making the move necessary.

Maurine is the most lovely, gracious, dignified woman

that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. While I have

never aspired to attain her depth of wisdom, I do pray that I

will learn from her vast experience.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing

home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As

she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual

description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that

had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated with the

enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented

with a new puppy.

Mrs. , you haven't seen the room ... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she 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. Old age is like

a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in ...

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of

happiness in the bank account of memories."

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