BANK DEPOSITS

This is from an e-mail that my 80+ year old aunt sent me today. I do NOT believe that this is a "true" story, but a parable that is worth passing on. The last two weeks have seen my FIL in the hospital twice ( once in Boston for 8 days and two days later in the local hospital for 4 days. My MIL was in the local hospital for 2 days last week) so this struck a chord with me.

  This is something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old,  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 sheers 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.

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!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
Remember the five simple rules to be
happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.