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Three friends were discussing death and one of them asked, "What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?"
The first of the friends said, "I would like them to say, 'He was a great humanitarian, who cared about his community.'"
The second answered, "I hope they say, 'She was a great wife and mother, who was an example for her family."'
The third friend responded, "I would like them to say, 'Look! He's moving!'"
Other than "Look! He's moving!" -- what would you hope others might say about you at your funeral?
A friend once told me of a caring and much-loved school nurse who died. She was well known by the faculty and students, as she had been there 35 years. When the principal announced her death to the children, many of them began to cry.
To help ease their grief, the school counselor had a group of children draw a picture of what the nurse meant to them. One child filled in her paper with red. "This is her heart," she explained. "It's too big for the paper."
At her funeral her friends and family clapped and celebrated her life. She left behind a great legacy of love.
How will you be remembered? What legacy will you leave behind?
Toward the end of his life, author and theologian Elton Trueblood made this observation: "At the age of 93, I am well aware that I do not have many years to live. Consequently, I try very hard to live my remaining years in such a manner that I really make a difference in as many lives as possible. How do I want to be remembered? Not primarily as a Christian scholar, but rather as a loving person. This can be the goal of every individual. If I can be remembered as a truly loving person, I shall be satisfied."
After you are gone, people may forget most of what you have said and done. But they will remember that you loved them.
-- Steve Goodier
Image: flickr.com/Jetske
