Six Months To Live

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. As I posted a few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine was given a time period of basically six months to two years with cancer. So, WHAT IF I had six months? How do you take that kind of news? What would I do? What would you do? I know some people talk about taking some great trip or something, but I think I would be more concerned with the so-called little things, spending time with family, with friends, with my dog, making sure my life is right with God.

What about a day? What if you knew that tomorrow was the day? Or a week? Or a month? Or a year? Or even ten years? Truth is, everyone of us only has a limited amount of time here anyway. Life is very short, no matter how long it lasts. So often I live as if I am going to be alive forever, like I have a countless number of days. Maybe if I changed my attitude, I would cherish each day and value time as the very precious thing it is. But too often, I waste it, like there is a big room somewhere with an endless supply that will never run out. How foolish that is. So often I put off more important things, just assuming that I will have time to take care of them and set everything right at some point in the future.

If I lived like I only had six months to live, I have no doubt that I would be a better person. I am sure that I would be easier to get along with, not quick to argue, and a lot quicker to just let little petty things go. I would be more forgiving, a better listener, a better friend. What's really important would be all that really mattered, and it would be reflected in how I lived. I would not pass up an opportunity to spend time with a friend because I was too busy. What I did would not be nearly as important as who I did it with. I would be more giving, less selfish. I would spend a lot more time with my parents. I would let go of any bitterness, any grudge. I would cherish each day, each sunrise, each hour, each precious minute, each sweet breath. But then I think, shouldn't I be living like that anyway? Wouldn't I be a lot better off? Wouldn't we all?

"He said, someday I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dying. Like tomorrow was a gift, and you've got eternity to think about what you do with it. What did you do with it? What did I do with it? What will I do with it?"