The great mystery of life is life itself. A few of us live past 100, while a few (including two who would've been my siblings) don't make it out of the womb. Most of the people reading this are lucky enough to live much longer than the millions who die each year without reaching what we in America would call adulthood.
Every so often, the topic of death finds its way into my mind. I will think about deaths of celebrities, relatives, pets - and even my own mortality. How will I be remembered? Is there really a Heaven where we (at least some of us) live forever and ever and ever and ever and ever?
While it's not an easy thing to talk about, I think we would do well to discuss life and death tonight. But while we must realize our mortality, let us not dwell solely on it. Instead, tonight, let's also focus on life!
Have you ever been fascinated by the mystery of life? Trillions of cells work in concert with each other to compose an organism. But for humans and many other creatures, there is more to it than cells. Somehow, we are given five senses with which to comprehend the world. We are capable of feeling emotion, of contemplation, of movement. How does that all happen? Is it all coincidence? Is there a God that makes it all happen?
What we do know is that, physically speaking, we know that each life has a beginning and an end. These trillions of cells that work in concert cannot do so forever. The concert will end at some point, due either to internal or external factors (sometimes both). As many of you know, for one of my dogs, the concert came to an end last month. For human beings, the concert can last more than a century, but for some reason, our pets don't have as long. Another mystery.
And of course, the deaths of those closest to us conjure up such sadness and emptiness in us. Some deaths cause us to feel regret for not knowing the deceased well enough. Other deaths, such as Cronkite's, make us nostalgic for an era when they were in their prime. Hard as it is to believe, eight years have passed since my maternal grandmother died. A few years ago we said goodbye to two dogs and my grandfather in the span of less than a year. Not to mention countless birds, fish, as well as humans we knew.
Take nothing for granted. On the afternoon of April 28, 2004, I came home from school, just like I normally did in those days, to sit down in my living room and flip through the news channel. and hop on the internet.
24 hours later, I was grieving for my grandfather. Though he was 81, he his death by heart attack was shocking.
As Swifty's health declined, I realized that I needed to take advantage of the time I had left with her. Thus, while I still miss her, the pain has not been amplified by regret.
Consider the names on this list:
- Henry Allingham - 113
- Bob Hope - 100
- Katharine Hepburn - 96
- Walter Cronkite - 92
- Ed McMahon - 86
- Corazon Aquino - 76
- Farrah Fawcett - 62
- Billy Mays - 50
- Michael Jackson - 50
- John F. Kennedy - 46
- Martin Luther King, Jr. - 39
- Steve McNair - 36
- Heath Ledger - 28
- James Dean - 24
- Mattie Stepanek - 13
All of these people have passed away. The numbers by their names are the ages at which they died.
Consider the wide range of ages of these people. Many of us have already outlived those
Cherish what we have. "We have lost a wonderful person," people might say on the death of someone. While it is appropriate to mourn a passing, oftentimes people don't take the time to be grateful for those who are alive, who they are, and what they do.
Take President Carter, for example. Into his eighties and out of the White House for nearly three decades, Carter continues to do - and write - a lot of wonderful things. Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Dan Inouye, John Dingell, John Conyers - all have been and continue to be shining leaders in Congress. And we also have Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Frank Buckles - who, at 108, is the last surviving American veteran of World War I.
Know that "Live life to the fullest" is not just a cliche - it's a great piece of advice. Yes, there is work to be done. Yes, hardships - materialistic, moral, and otherwise - must be endured. And yes, sacrifices do need to be made. But as someone once said, hardly anybody lies in their deathbed thinking, "If only I had spent more time in the office!"
Leave a powerful legacy. Do not let a day go by when you don't do what you can to make your own life - and others' lives - better. After his brother died, Mattie Stepanek, who had muscular dystrophy, started writing poems called Heartsongs. He gained worldwide recognition and was an inspiration to Jimmy Carter and Oprah, among others. Carter eulogized Mattie in 2004, saying that he and Rosa
have known kings and queens, and we've known presidents and prime ministers, but the most extraordinary person whom I have ever known in my life is Mattie Stepanek.
Mattie Stepanek did not let his disease or his young age stop him. Nor should we, older and able-bodied, let any obstacles stop us.
Finally, let us pray*...
For all the deceased.
For those who are dying.
For their families.
For all who are unsure what they can or should do with the rest of their lives.
That all people may seek to do good at all times.