Dear Ones,
Hope you purpose filled day! I plan to bake and study and also have fish given to us by friends.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
These past days I have been reading a book that Al ordered on aging and how to give our lives and our deaths away. I am discovering that our lives and our deaths don’t belong just to us, but also to our families, those we love, and the world. If our lives are filled with anger, bitterness and shame, we leave that behind and it becomes a burden to our loved ones. But if we are a positive and loving godly presence, we leave a peaceful spirit behind when we die. Henry Nouwen, a spiritual writer, shares how to prepare ourselves for our death in such a way that our dying will leave a gift behind for others of a sense of warmth and a feeling of peace. For much of his life, even though loved and affirmed by others, he did not take in the love. It wasn’t until late in life when he was in a coma that he experienced God’s love and was changed. For all of us, only as we surrender to God’s love can we truly give our lives and deaths away.
The author of Al’s book suggests writing our own obituaries or spiritual will. We can ask ourselves: did we do what God wanted us to do in our life, and did we find our purpose? We also ask: to whom do we need to say we are sorry and then whom do we need to bless before we die? Also, the four most important things we need to say to our loved ones before it is too late: “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you.” I remember my brother making calls before he died to ask forgiveness of others, and we all can do that even when we don’t know how many days we have left.
Writer St. John of the Cross felt there were three major stages in our lives. First we struggle to get our life together, next struggle to give our lives away, and finally we struggle to age with grace and give our deaths away as a gift to others.  We start life with the comfort of home until adulthood, when we leave to find out who we are and our place in this world. We mature, become responsible, have families and make contributions. During the third stage, we want to live so that our death will be a blessing to our family, church and world as we die in peace, reconciled and grateful.
Challenge for today: No matter what age you are, begin preparing to leave behind a warm nurturing spirit for all those you love and who have loved you.
 Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy