Would you want to know?

I have been recovering from a very bad head cold this week. It’s been a bummer and I’m tired of coughing. It has made me realize that I take my health for granted. I am generally in good health and very blessed to be able to do whatever I want. We have a family member who has recently gone home from the hospital and entered hospice. He does not have good health in his future.

As I coughed myself to sleep for another nap, I thought about knowing your illness and it’s impact on your future. Would you want to know exactly how many days you have left on this planet? Would you live life differently? Would you cherish each ray of sunshine more, or would you get depressed? The optimist in my thinks I would become more vocal, more intense in my desire to make my days count. And yet after this bout with the flu I am not sure that part of me wouldn’t just roll up in a ball and sleep. Poor health can be overwhelming, leaving you weak and tired with no energy for anything else.

We are praying for our ill family member and know that he is in good hands. We are sad and in limbo as we wait for the end. We are each facing what life will be like without him to share our days. It is a reminder that none of us get out of this life alive, we all leave the same way. Some of us will know when our days will end, some of us will be surprised, and some of us will wish as our bodies fail that we knew the end was near. Death is both a comfort and a fearful pest. It is a fact that none of us can ignore.

So As I consumed yet another bowl of chicken soup I made plans to live tomorrow feeling better and getting back to my normal life. I hope my body cooperates. What do you plan to do today or tomorrow that will make your day count. Because if you are blessed enough to get up and spend the day above ground, it is a good day. So would you want to know the date of your last day? Make today count no matter what,