The Eulogy

Every man dies - not every man really lives. ~William Ross

When you have breathed your last breath and those who knew you in life are gathered at your memorial, how do you want to be remembered? If you could write your own eulogy, what words, what thoughts, what sentiments would you express to capture the one life you lived?

As I lay cold in my casket dressed in my finest suit, I hope to have the outpouring of love that was evident at my father's wake where people were lined up the entire evening to pay their last respects. My father was a man that was loved by many, a man who touched the lives of others in a positive way.

I hope to be remembered as a man who loved his family sacrificially, as a man who loved his fellow man with reckless abandon, as a man who tried to make a difference with the one life he was gifted, as a man who led others with a servant's heart, as a man who lived a life of integrity, as a man who served the Lord, as a man who loved life and made it a joy for those with whom I shared the journey of life. I don't want this eulogy for the sake of a good eulogy. I want this eulogy because I want to make a difference with my life. And the areas I mentioned in my eulogy are, I believe, the measures of a difference making life, a life of impact.

This is how I want to be remembered but fear I may not be living this life, fear my base selfish nature is keeping me focused inward instead of focused on others, is keeping me from living the life I should be living, I long to be living, the life for which I want to be remembered. My biggest obstacle to having the eulogy I want is definitely my selfish nature. It's something I constantly fight, a battle I win and lose with equal measure which is progress because I used to lose a lot more than I won. It's time I take a mid life assessment, identify behaviors that hinder obtaining my goal and make course corrections to ensure I live the life that best shows love for my fellow man, serves my fellow man. I must make sure I am living the life that matches the eulogy I want to hear for I believe that, living a life with that eulogy is a life well lived.

What are you doing to make the eulogy you want a reality?