Good morning and happy Monday!
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
– Jesus speaking in John 10:10
I’ll try to keep today’s memo brief as I know a good many of us are still recovering from Hurricane Milton.
As the winds were howling, the windows were shaking, and the power was vanishing, one cannot help but think about how fragile life is. I think a storm of this nature provides us with a great opportunity to reflect on life.
I came across a story recently that addressed regrets that I thought might be appropriate to share this morning.
Bonnie Ware quit a job she found unfulfilling and started working in hospice care. She would constantly talk with her patients who were at the end of their life here on earth and ask them what their biggest regret was.
Many of us might expect people to say something along the lines of “I wish I didn’t work as many hours” or “I wish I spent more time with my family.”
However, Bonnie was surprised by the overwhelming answer she heard and wrote an article about it in 2009. Here is an excerpt from that article:
When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again …
I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that is was due to choices they had made, or not made.
Basically, Bonnie found that people on their deathbeds number one regret was I wasn’t my truest self.
This is heartbreaking!
Every single person reading this email has one thing in common: you are alive😊. This means your story is not over yet and you can still write the remaining chapters.
What do you want those remaining pages to say?
What dreams do you have that you can still take action on?
Who do you need to reach out to repair a relationship with?
Where do you want to go that so far you have put on the backburner?
As we clean up the hurricane debris and look forward to what lays ahead, may I please respectfully challenge and encourage you to write the remaining chapters with meaning, purpose and authenticity.
Yesterday is over, tomorrow is not promised, today we can choose how to live. Let’s live intentionally😊.
Have a wonderful week ahead.