We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and of course, I ate too much, the turkey was awesome, the conversation light and entertaining, the desserts, plentiful and delicious. But now, the dishes are clean, the silver is stowed for another year. But I’m still in the mood to give thanks. Many of you may know that I recently traveled to San Diego, for the memorial service for my half-sister, Patricia Anne Trimble. It was a lovely gathering of family and friends, and I was quite moved by a quote that the Pastor read to us at the close of the ceremony. It is called, “What will Matter” by Michael Josephson, and I am quoting it here, as it is fitting for this time of year when we have the opportunity to reflect on what is really important in our lives.
“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 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 won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won’t 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 that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance, but choice.
And so, the challenge to us all is to choose to live a life that matters.”
I would like to add that I choose to offer up these words to you, friends I’ve met in person, and friends I’ve made through this wonderful digital world we share on the internet. Human connections are so very important, no matter the medium. Thank you so much for stopping by and I’d love to hear what matters to you.
