Three things happened this week that inspired this post. 1. A friend's mother died of cancer. 2. Another friend is close to death and is a victim of Alzheimer's. 3. I went to the nursing home to play my monthly game of bingo with the residents.
The lady who died of cancer was a vivacious lady who was loved by many people and who was full of life. She had a big family and was a vital part of her family. She fought like a tiger, but the cancer took her down quickly and she suffered greatly trying to endure aggressive treatments.
My friend with Alzheimer's was an incredibly talented musician who blessed our church with his musical gifts. He was well traveled and had an interesting life. Alzheimer's took his mind pretty quickly. His ability to play the piano was one of the last things to go. He has fallen and fractured his skull and is not expected to recover.
My bingo players are my hero's. They have their minds and they have not gotten a deadly disease, but I watch their bodies crumple month after month as they sit and wait for death to come.
Now I realize that none of that sounds very good, but I was struck this week by the attitudes of the people in these three stories. They all fought their particular battles with as much grace as possible and with an enduring enthusiasm for life that I want to emulate.
Death is a certainty and not something to be dreaded I suppose. But I do want to do my absolute best to live my best life while I can. I'm not even sure what that means. The Gospel of John says that when Jesus died he said, "It is finished." That's the feeling I want. He was only 33 and by all accounts he had not done what he set out to do or finished anything by the world's standards. But He knew that He had done what He was sent to do. I think we all are little bit parts in a really long play. I want to play my part well.
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