What will matter?

[TriciaK]

Dear group, I have wanted to share this special piece with all of you for some time, but have hesitated, afraid it might be depressing to some. Still, we have had several threads recently on a similar subjects, so I hope this will prove to be as positive and uplifting to you as it is to me. Remember, it is referring only to this life and how we choose to live it. It is sent with love and best wishes from Tricia:

What Will it Matter, by Michael Josephson

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 all 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,
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 or 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 have 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 are gone.
What will matter is not your 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 matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters!