A Little Something Special

I found a newspaper clipping in an old wallet of my step-dad's the night he died. He carried this old wallet in his briefcase with all the other things that he carried around on a daily basis.  It was like his purse.  That night we were looking for something specific and we happened to find it in that old wallet in the briefcase.  Also in the wallet was pictures of me from very small to graduating, and behind one of the picture was this newspaper clipping.  Once I read it, I knew he meant for me to find it. It is from Dear Ann (Ann Landers).  The daughter in the clipping is apparently asking Ann where this quote came from because she had found it in her fathers wallet as well. I still get teared up when I read this, it is a little something special that Bo left for me so I'd know I was important to him.


He never mentioned it. It was barely readable and I have no idea where it came from.  Can you make out enough of the words to run it in your column? And if possible, trace the origin? Thank you from all of us. -- Long Island Daughter

Dear Daughter:  The clipping your father carried came from this column. Here it is, along with my thanks for asking. It is one of my favorites. The author is Bessie Anderson Stanley.
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better than we found it, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded."


I know my life breathed a little easier because He lived.  Thank you Bo for investing in me and wanting me to be the best adult I could be.  I hope I made you proud, I believe I did.