"WHAT WILL MATTER"

Ready or not, someday 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 list will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important, will fade away.
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 your success, but how hard you tried.
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're 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 DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.
IT"S NOT A MATTER OF CHANCE, BUT OF CHOICE.

CHOOSE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS.

Written by: Michael Josephson
Published in: Fr. Reuter's Column