A life well lived

 

    This week I have done a lot of thinking about life. Now, I know that's complex and too much to consider at best. But, for the last week I have just felt this burden. I have been short tempered with my family and feel like if I start crying, I might not be able to stop. 

    Lester Hughes passed away on Friday, January 26, 2024. Sally Brubeck fell and cracked her pelvis two+ weeks ago; Patty Jarvis fell yesterday and broke both her arm AND her hip. My little village is going through it right now. It just got me thinking about the things we go through in life. I read somewhere that your life is the dash on your headstone. You have your birthdate and the date you died, in the middle, that teeny, little dash was your life. What kind of impact did you leave? Were you a good person? Did you give back to your community? Most importantly (in my opinion anyway) is did you tell other people about Jesus? I think Lester lived a good life. Not without hardships or disappointments, because none of us can escape that. He loved this community fiercely. I could not count how many times a day he would go up and down the road between his house and Mr. Bill's on the tractor. He would plow your garden, haul your brush and trash and make sure you were not driving too fast in the village. My favorite memory of Lester is before Garrett and I were married, the "General Store" as my Mercantile was dubbed back then, had a Halloween party. I took Dylan & Drake and then we trick or treated through the village. Lester & Judy gave out FULL size candy bars. Now that's a big deal on Halloween. Silly, I know, but I won't ever forget it. I'm sure Lester did and said things that people didn't like or agree with but "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone" (John 8:7) That is a verse I am trying to live my life by. I own the Middlebrook Mercantile and see and hear A LOT of things in a day. I'm going to write a book one day about that little Mercantile; but if I believed everything I heard, well... 

    Back to your "dash"... It got me thinking, what kind of legacy will I leave? Will people remember me only for my amazing sense of humor 😁? What will they remember? Here is what I want people to remember about me. That I loved with all of my heart, that I cared about every.single.person (whether that care was good or bad... well hey, I'm human). That I was generous of my time, that I was willing to help whenever and wherever I could. That I loved Jesus with my whole heart. That I loved this little village more than they will ever know. That I tried very hard to be a good person. I could think of a million things, but you get the point. Everyone goes through trials and tribulations, all of us "suffer." We were never promised an easy life. It is what you make it. I choose to see the Joy in each day, even on the days (like today) when I am ready to lose my mind, check out and be committed to Western State. I have people that depend on me, as do you. We can do this. Let's make our "dash" one that we can be proud of and at the end of our time on earth we hear "Well done good and faithful servant" as I feel like Lester heard last Friday. What a day that will be. 

    Wishing you sunny skies and green pastures,

McKession