I won’t be around for my funeral so I would rather hear during my lifetime if I did anything that made a difference in someone’s life – - And, don’t cry because I have had a good life with MANY blessings – which came primarily in the form of my family!! Just make sure whoever does the eulogy says that!

As for what really counts – Lana already said it – to hear from God, “Well done good and faithful servant” is what it is all about.

Claudia is right – it is not morbid to consider what is truly important in life – it comes down to our relationship to God and what we have done to make a difference in the lives of others (i.e. did we love others as Jesus would?). Everything else is mostly trivia and abundant blessings (i.e. good food, good friends, nice things, etc – nice but not the most important things)

I think it’s not morbid but very important to look at your life from the view of “deathbed” so to speak. It gives a different perspectives and focuses on what’s really important. When I have a choice between what’s comfortable (which is often the mediocre) and what’s a challenge that might glorify God, I have to look at what life I will want to have lived when I’m about to die. Then the answer becomes much easier, though it’s often still a struggle to actually do what’s harder.

I haven’t given a thought to what people might say about me, because the thought is depressing. As Lana said, all that counts is that hopefully God will say “Well done, good and faithful servant” or take me anyway though I haven’t lived up to my and His goals.

Interestingly, I had a few days during my time in Germany in 2006 when I was sure I was about to die in a car accident while going to visit my parents the following weekend. I wrote my will and what I wanted to be said to my family (who are not Christians) during my funeral, and I wrote what I wanted on my gravestone, which is the last verse from the song “Come to Jesus” by Chris Rice:

And with your final heart beat kiss the world good-bye and go in peace and laugh on glory’s side and fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, and live!

There a nice video playing this song on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtR6o65IzuE

Many thoughts of Dave, Lana, Lauren, Carmen and especially their NY grandparents who are special to me.

Your family continues to be in my nightly prayers.

I will be thinking of you this weekend…

Love and Hopeful Prayers,
Becky