The story is told of a man who was looking through his wife’s belongings shortly after she passed away. In her dresser, he found a very nice piece of clothing that she had bought on a trip many years earlier. He realized that she had never worn it; she was saving it for a special occasion. And now it was too late.
Later, the husband shared this experience with a friend, adding this advice: “Don’t save something only for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.”
Those words changed his friend’s life. She said: “Now I spend more time with my family. I use crystal glasses every day. I’ll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket if I feel like it. The words ‘someday’ and ‘one day’ are fading from my vocabulary. Now I take the time to call my relatives and closest friends. I’ve called old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I tell my family members how much I love them. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.”[1]
So many of our days—with their humdrum, their pressures, and their demands—don’t seem particularly special. But the fact is that life itself is miraculous and marvelous; it is, in a word, special.
That doesn’t mean every day is always sunny and sparkling. We all have hard days and challenges, some of them ongoing. But it’s also true that every day has something, some little thing, that makes the day special: a bit of beautiful music, the sound of a bird, a cool breeze on a hot day, the thoughtfulness of a friend. Usually, the little things are the big things.
In waiting for a special occasion, we might miss the many special occasions happening every day. So, what if, instead of postponing life, we lived each day as a gift? After all, the fact that God has given us another day of life is surely cause to celebrate.
[1] In Thomas S. Monson, “In Search of Treasure,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2003, 21.
February 18, 2024
Broadcast Number 4,927
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductor
Mack Wilberg
Organist
Andrew Unsworth
Host
Lloyd Newell
I Think the World Is Glorious
Alexander Schreiner; Arr. Mack Wilberg
This Little Light of Mine
African American spiritual; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Trumpet Tune in Seven
Trumpet Tune in Seven
Glory to God on High
Felice de Giardini; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Come to My Garden, from The Secret Garden
Lucy Simon; Arr. Kurt Bestor
Look at the World
John Rutter
Redeemer of Israel
Freeman Lewis; Arr. Mack Wilberg