Tonight, Elaine and I saw an old friend that told us about a lady that just died, and she was 57 years old. She was diagnosed around a year ago, and was told that she had a year to live. She found out she had stage four cancer.

As we were driving home, I asked Elaine the question, “what would you change in your life if you were told you had a year to live?” There was a pause, and then we discussed it.

For me, I said I would get the succession plan in order for Hotel AG to ensure she would be taken care of, and I would get the financial house and records in order so that it would not be a concern for her or my children. Then, I would start writing a lot more and committing my thoughts to paper. Lastly, we both agreed that we would maybe travel a little but not much. Rather, we would invest the year with our daughters, son-in-laws and our grandchildren. We would basically soak up all the love we could. Elaine said there wouldn’t be a day that goes by that she didn’t witness to someone about Jesus.

We then discussed why we shouldn’t wait to do those very things until we were forced to.

I came away from the discussion with a decision to do all those things while it was a choice and not a requirement. I also thought about what it would feel like to be given that news and to have to go home to discuss it with your family. In a manner of words, it would change your whole life and your thought life.

Anyone reading this blog post that has not been given that diagnosis can still make the decision to change how they live their life and begin a new day today. They can think of the people they love and can focus on what really matters, as they start to repair relationships and live the life they have always wanted to live. In short, they can start to be the person they have always wanted to be.

It is said of people when they are dying that the only two things that matter is the relationship they have with God and the relationship they have with their family. The cars, houses, money, job titles, and recognition mean nothing when life is at the end.

So today, let’s decide to follow the Army slogan that says “be all you can be,” and I would add “while you can.” KT