Laugh Often!

Sorting through my mother's things, I found this old plaque, which I apparently gave to my father for his 66th birthday.

I don't remember giving it to him, but written on the back are the details. (My mother would have made an excellent librarian - or archivist!)

The opening lines do remind me of my father, his ready smile and sense of humor. He made us laugh often.

In the ups and downs of life, it's good to be surrounded by people who can make us smile.


The plaque says:





He has achieved success who has lived well, 
laughed often, and loved much; 

who has gained the respect
of intelligent men 
and the love of little children; 

who has filled his niche 
and accomplished his task, 

who has left the world better 
than he found it, 
whether by an improved poppy, 
a perfect poem, 
or a rescued soul; 

who has never lacked appreciation 
of earth's beauties, 
or failed to express it; 

who has always looked for the best in others 
and given the best he had; 
[whose life is an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.]

I wondered why the author's name is not given - but then I noticed that different websites attribute the poem to different well-known writers: Robert Louis Stevenson and Ralph Waldo Emerson. (I wonder how that happened!) The online versions also had another line, given in brackets above.