|
What will Matter ?
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It will not matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It will not matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,
not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched,
empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters does not happen by accident.
It is not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
Author Michael Josephson
|
The murders of Julie and John in 2000 took their toll on Dad. He was a different man after identifying their bodies. The happy go-lucky person was replaced by a man intent on protecting the rest of his family and achieving justice for his daughter and son-in-law.
He joined two community groups - Compassionate Friends and Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group and did his bit to help others.
Dad was not quite as quick to laugh and instigate practical jokes, but his quick wit remained with his new purpose and he continued to engender respect in others for the courage and dignity with which he approached life.
He was told he had terminal cancer on the 6th of August this year with 6 weeks to live, he battled for 22 weeks to give his family more time to adjust.
Dad wanted to be remembered for the good times, and all of us who knew him know that that is not hard because he left so many of us with so many good memories.
Rest in peace Dad.
|
|
