"Hi, Steve," said the voice on the other end. "I
just wanted to see how you're getting along."
I had not heard from my old friend for many months. It was good
to talk to him. I wondered why hadn't we kept in touch better.
Toward the end of the conversation, he
said, "If you need me in any way, I'll be happy to help out." And he meant it!
That call came at
just the right time, as they so often do. I needed those words of encouragement. I hung up
the phone feeling a satisfying lump of warmth in my chest.
And that day I re-learned something important about life: life is
primarily about people -- not plans and schedules, not to-do lists and a million tasks
left undone -- it's about people.
To love and to know
that we are loved is the greatest happiness of existence. And happiness seems to be
something that is in short supply for too many of us! My friend reminded me that it is
never enough just to love; we must also express it. What good are our affectionate
feelings toward others if we don't find ways to let them know?
George William Childs put it like this: "Do not keep the
alabaster box of your love and friendship sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill
their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them
and while their hearts can be thrilled and made happier. The kind things you mean to say
when they are gone, say before they go."
Happiness ... may be just a phone call away.
Steve
Goodier is a professional speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his
site, LifeSupportSystem.com, for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love and Laughter.
