When All Is Said and Done...
We spent some time this past week cleaning my father-in-law's house since his death last week. Doing this kind of task is enough to make one review a lot of things. We went through clothing and collected items. We sorted through papers that in some cases were over 30 years old. We reviewed our life in his by seeing every card or letter we ever sent him in the 34 years we have been married.

And now, with a few exceptions, it is all gone. Whatever we gather in this life is truly but a "moment's sunlight, fading in the grass." We pass through and leave- what?

• An estate to pass on to children and grandchildren?
• Clothes that someone may now find in a thrift store?
• Fifty+ bags of trash taken to the dump?
• Memories, good and bad?

Ah, there is truly the issue. It is the memories that we leave behind that make the most difference. The papers and books and CDs and toys that we may have gathered will go to someone - or no one. The memory- the actions taken and not taken in this life- will be what makes the difference. We may think we are making one kind of memory, but it may be worth taking the chance from time to time to ask our friends and loved ones just what it is we will leave behind. It is not an easy thing to do, but if it keeps us on the right rack, it may be worth the risk.

That way when the day comes when someone else is finally going through all you've left behind, the things will be able to go- and the memories will be what makes the future.