Dexter Iowa Community Site

Consider this quote from Abe Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

As I get older I’ve noticed that the number of funerals I attend is quickly outpacing the number of weddings. I suppose that is how life goes, kind of like fire calls. They come in bunches. First it’s graduations, then weddings, then baby showers (although as a guy I’ve been able to opt out of most of those), and then funerals.

Funerals, which are for the living, are a good reminder for me to take a look at life, and how I’m living mine. It makes you stop and think about what reminder you leave when your time on this earth is done. I think that the thought of dying probably isn’t as scary as the thought of what will be said about us when we are gone.

How are you living your life? Do you stop and visit with someone you know regularly? Do you say hello to people on the street? Are you kind to the girl ringing up your gas at Casey’s in the morning? Do you take the time to enrich the lives of those around you?

I’ve watched good friends come and go through this life. There are those who seem to roll with the punches, and never quite find the success they are looking for, and yet, they are the ones when you are in trouble you know will be the first ones on your doorstep when you need them.

There are also lost souls that I know, those that burn brightly for a few moments in time and then disappear over the horizon and get lost in the twigh light. They remind me of the meteorite the other night…a long brilliant flash and then gone, leaving you with only a memory that haunts you at night and leaves you with wonder.

And yet, the ones I remember most of all are the ones who aren’t all that extraordinary to anyone. They don’t seem to even know that they are the light of the world. They go about their lives, day to day, never speaking up, never asking for help, and never fully realizing just how much they are needed. I think that these friends come few and far between. Never boastful, never in your face, never asking for anything in return, just there like a majestic mountain or a beautiful sunset. Those are the people you know that mean the most to you when they are gone. You can count them on one hand because they are few and far between. You know the minute that you hear their voice, or see them on a crowded street or get that little note, that they have made your life better.

I know that I’ve kind of wandered away from my main premise in this column, and I apologize for that. But sitting in a church pew, thinking about a life that was lived well reminds me of the people I know, the ones who are there for you, and the lives they lead. Those are the ones that leave us with an empty space when they are gone, and yet, live within us, long after their journey is done. And they, my friends are the ones I can’t wait to see when I get to heaven.

Lead your life well, don’t fret the mistakes you make, and learn to love with all your heart. You’ll never go wrong if that is the road you take.

See you next week...Remember, we're all in this together.