My son sent me a book that he thought that I would like. He was right. He thought that, based on my more-than-20-years of writing this column (Listen to Life: Wisdom in Life’s Stories) and the book of the same name, that the author’s messages in short stories would resonate with me. Again, he was right. The commonality between my work and that of the book’s author is that we both see wisdom in life’s stories that serve as reminders of how wonderful life, and all its complications, is. The book came out the year that I graduated from high school, but it took 52 years for it and me to cross paths.

The book is Wonder by Arthur Gordon. It is full of vignettes from life that share wisdom, insights and “things that make you go, huh.”

The copy that I received had a previous owner who left a note when the book was originally given as a gift. The inscription was profound in its own beauty and wisdom. When I shared a photo of the note with my son, he said that I must have received the “extended edition.” Indeed. Such is life.

It is the extra notes, comments, sharing of emotions, openness to love…it is the listening beyond the final word in a conversation…it is the observation of facial expressions and the welling up of tears in someone’s eyes…the extended time needed for the slightly tighter hug of friendship…there is so much more to notice in life than what is first apparent. This extra attention enables lives to be touched in beautiful, unforgettable ways.

According to Kelly’s sweet note, there is the chance in life to make such connections that there is no such thing as good-bye. I believe we have the opportunity in ways subtle and profound, simple and sublime, to touch the lives of others in ways that make such a difference that we are part of their lives forever, if only in the subconscious of their lives. Do good, do well, be open, love life and those in it.