Living A Life That Matters

My grandfather, second man in my heart only to my father (until Josh), passed away this past fall. A great-grandfather, grandfather, father, son, brother, husband, a veteran, a patriot, and a friend. His name was Frank (Frankie Bib to his wife) and he was the most quiet, wise man that ever walked the face of this earth, I am convinced.

He passed away and people came from all over the country to pay their respects to a Life That Truly Mattered. It was only fitting that during the time the family was gathered around to celebrate my grandpa that my great-uncle Johnny and great-aunt Linda would share this passage with me. We are not 100% sure who wrote it, but it is definitely something to read (and to cherish).

Just thought I'd share.


Living a Life That Matters

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, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your signficance.

What will matter is about what you learned as well as 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 felt good when they were around you and how you served them. What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those whose lives you touched.

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 to live a life that matters.
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My grandfather lived a life that mattered. He gave and gave to those whom he loved. There was no end to his generosity, his patience, his knowledge. He gave and touched, he was significant, and will be remembered. He lived a life that mattered. He truly did. And as I sit here fighting back tears, I think that the most important part of this passage is not the feeling derived from reading it, not the memories that it might recall from the depths of my mind, but what it can do for my future. For the people I love and who love me.

What can this passage do for your future? For the people you love and who love you?