Day 335 What is a Life Worth?

November 9, 2015

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)

Quote is most likely from Stephen Grellet who lived during the French Revolution and fled to the U.S. where he became a Quaker missionary.

Unexpectedly, my eyes filled with tears at the bank. I had just signed and deposited a check into a new account. It was not just any check but the legacy  my father left to his family. After nearly a year, the details of his estate have been completed. He worried near the end of his life about the huge cost of his care because he wanted his daughters to inherit something of value when he died.

What is the worth of a person at the end of his life? Although his family may inherit some money and things of value, his life is not about the green left behind. It is about his essence, his values, the way he treated those around him. Tonight David and I talked with our friend Kevin at the hospital as his wife Regina lay in a coma from a sudden stroke. When we received his phone call, we left immediately to be with him and offer hugs and love. As we talked, Kevin told us about growing up with several generations in his home and his great-grandmother’s wisdom. She reminded him to take care of himself but also to take care in how he treated those around him. 

My father took care of his relationships. In the end, my sisters and I did inherit something of great value from our father but any money he had left was the least of it. We were raised in a home with love, security and life values that helped shape our lives and those we touch today. 

My gift today is a legacy of love.

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P.S. I just learned that Regina passed away Tuesday, November 10. The quick breath of life demands that we hold each day as precious.

Day 336: To Kondo

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html