What Will Matter: poem of the week

 

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasure or
forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and every "to do list" will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on in the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought,
but what you built;

Not what you acquired,
but what you gave.

What will matter is  not your success,
but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned,
but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence,
but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you know,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.

What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It is not a matter of circumstances, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

I am not sure who wrote this. I found it in a newsletter from where I used to work. It is more of a reminder to myself than anything else. It's so easy to get caught up on the material stuff, and the insignificant stuff. I've heard people boast about how many 'friends' they have on FB. And people buy expesive, brand names, and designer stuff, just to appear successful. And sometimes I want nice stuff too, expensive stuff, designer stuff, but then I remember that it doesn't really matter. It's not necessary. Not vital to me. What matters are my kids, my husband, and my family. What matters is that I aspire to be the best person to them, for them. And I need to remember more constantly that my time here is borrowed, and that I can't take them for granted. That I should hug more, kiss, more, laugh more. I hope this poem inspires you the way it inspires me.