Ready or not!

– Michael Josephson

*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 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 on what side of the tracks you lived*

*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 day acts * *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 of choice.* *Choose a life that matters.*