What Really Counts?

Let this true story speak for itself:
SHE WILL ALWAYS BE THE ONE By Saralee Perel
One day last week I woke up in a lousy mood. Why? We were out of coffee. I was late paying a MasterCard bill. My favorite clock had just stopped working. I didn’t even think of saying, “Good morning,” to my husband Bob. After all, we’ve been waking up together for 31 years. As usual, we both got out of bed and headed right to our desks. I checked e-mail and replied to people who were complaining about rainy days as if we were all living through a catastrophic disaster.
One more e-mail remained. It was from a fellow named John. And it turned out to be a breath-stopping shock. The first time John wrote to me was about a year ago. He was responding to a column I had written about relationship troubles that Bob and I had overcome: “My wife Donna pointed out an article by you she found moving. It brought her to tears. I’m a grown man who can be very emotional. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a happy ending and everything was fine. Few couples these days enjoy the closeness that you have with your spouse. I am proud to say that I have been with my beloved for 26 years and she’s still the one.” When I saw his name on this current e-mail, I was hoping to read more about his loving marriage. He wrote: “Two days ago my wife fell down a flight of stairs. I lost the only girl I will ever love. She was only 54 and in perfect health.” I stared at his words as my life was overhauled in less than one minute. Thank God.
I could hear Bob in his study. He was in a bad mood. I asked him to come in and read John’s e-mail. As he was reading, his demeanor changed. In slow motion, he went from appearing uptight and annoyed to sadly calm. With a deep sigh he said, “Thank you for having me read this.” I responded, “Your e-mail made me think about so many stupid things I get upset about. You gave me a huge wake-up call as to what matters in life and what doesn’t.” When I asked for his permission to write about this lesson, he kindly agreed and said, “I’m sure Donna would be honored.”
I am the one honored to be writing about Donna’s many legacies. Through the words of her adoring husband, she leaves behind and continues to teach the profound yet often overlooked lesson: Love is what is most important. I am also hoping she will help many realize, the way I did, that most everything is small potatoes compared to love, life and death.
And so this morning, it didn’t faze me that I was out of computer paper when a deadline was imminent. And then I said, “Good morning,” to Bob.