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What Will Matter

    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 were 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 by what you build,

    not what you got but what you gave.

    What will matter is not your success but our 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’re gone.

    What will matter is not our memories but the memories of those who loved you.

    What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

    Living a life that maters doesn’t happen by accident.

    It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

    Choose to live a life that matters.

     

    ~ Michael Josephson

    Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep.

      Do not stand at my grave and weep.

      I am not there, I do not sleep.

      I am the thousand winds that blow.

      I am diamond glints on snow.

      I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

      I am gentle autumnal rain.

      When you waken in the morning hush.

      I am the soft uplifting rush

      Of quiet birds in circled flight.

      I am the soft stars that shine at night.

      Do not stand at my grave and cry –

      I am not there.  I did not die.

       

      ~ Anonymous

        “Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down.” ~ Anonymous

          “You don’t want no pie in the sky when you die,  you want something here on the ground while you’re still around.” ~ Muhammad Ali

            “You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can decide how you’re going to live now.” ~ Joan Baez

              “Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.” ~ Lauren Bacall

                “He not busy being born is busy dying.” ~ Bob Dylan

                  “I guess it comes down to a simple choice. Get busy living or get busy dying.” ~ Andy Dufresne (Shawshank Redemption)

                    ‎”You are afraid to die, and you’re afraid to live. What a way to exist.” ~ Neale Donald Walsch

                      “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”  ~ Steve Jobs

                        “Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ~ Steve Jobs

                        The Laughing Heart

                          your life is your life
                          don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
                          be on the watch.
                          there are ways out.
                          there is a light somewhere.
                          it may not be much light but
                          it beats the darkness.
                          be on the watch.
                          the gods will offer you chances.
                          know them.
                          take them.
                          you can’t beat death
                          but you can beat death in life, sometimes.
                          and the more often you learn to do it,
                          the more light there will be.
                          your life is your life.
                          know it while you have it.
                          you are marvelous
                          the gods wait to delight
                          in you.

                           

                          ~ Charles Bukowski

                            “Every man dies – Not every man really lives.” ~ William Ross

                              “The only people who fear death are those with regrets.” ~ Unknown

                                “How many on their deathbeds wished they’d spent more time at the office – or watching TV?  The answer is, No one.” ~ Stephen Covey

                                  “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” ~ Chuck Palahniuk

                                    “We only live once. We all have an expiration date after that we will never come again. I am not saying that to make you sad. I am saying that so you can cherish each moment in your life and be grateful that you are here and you are Special” ~ Pablo

                                      “Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” ~ Elbert Hubberd

                                        “We cannot truly face life until we face the fact that it will be taken away from us.” ~ Billy Graham

                                          “As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” ~ Leonardo Da Vinci