More Than I Expected
Illustration
by Maxie Dunnam

I hear that in a cemetery in Lebanon, Illinois, there is a stone on the grave of Jennie B. Wilson, with a simple inscription:  “She was more to me than I expected.”

It’s sad to find that out after the gift is gone.  What about those whom you love -- wives, husbands, children, parents, friends?  If you lost them in death, might you say, “She was more to me than I expected.”?

I hear it all the time:  if I had only known.  And it’s always a tragic note being sounded.  Death has come unexpectedly.  A child married sooner than you anticipated.  Illness dramatically alters life.  If I had only known!

Do something about it now.

Look at them with appreciative eyes.

Try to see the best in them.  Express your gratitude.

Act always as though you really cared.

by Maxie Dunnam