Neale Talks About the Last Day of Your Life …

My dear friends...

If this were the last day of your life, what would you do? What would you consider important? To whom would you speak, and what would you say? Who would you make time for, and with whom would you share a really important moment?

If this were your last day on earth, what would you make your top priority? How would your tone of voice change? On what would you spend your words? To what would you devote your thoughts?

How, if this were your final day, would you define "wealth"? How would you define "self"? How would you define "God"? What would it matter? Why?

What would you worry about? What would you have faith in? What would you be frightened of? What would you feel certain about?

Do you think it is possible to live this day as if it were your last day on earth? What would have to change for you to do so? What would remain the same?

Would you make a few calls and seek forgiveness? Would you hug a few people and tell them you love them more than they will ever know? Would you stop franticizing and futurizing? Would you smile at a few things that yesterday you frowned upon? Would you yell at the dog...or pet her and give her a big squeeze...  

Who would you thank on this day, in a special way? Who would you want to make very sure that they understood the contribution they have made to your life?

What flower would you ask for, to smell one more time? What would you request as your last meal?

If this were my last day, I'd ask everyone to get up early and come over and help me trim a Christmas tree. I'd get all the Christmas decorations out and light a pine-scented candle and string the lights and hang the tinsel and laugh and sing carols and drink wassail and then, as dusk set in, I'd ask everyone to stay, I'd light the tree and sit there before it and give everything I had away as special Christmas presents to my family and friends. I'd call it Continuation Day, and at the end I'd snuggle up in my bed with my dearest people around me, I'd ask for one last scoop of ice cream, I'd hold hands with my closest one, then I'd close my eyes and dream my way to God.

Oh...and I would say I love you a lot.

To everyone.

I was thinking today, as I was flying to my next event, how much I loved everyone.  No, really.  I mean that.  Watching the people all around me...elders, kids, people in the middle years...getting on that plane, I was just suddenly struck with how much I love LIFE, and how much I just loved all those people then.  It was like some sort of momentary "high."

So, I've been thinking about how I might change my interactions with people in the world, people I don't know.  I want to treat every stranger as if he or she were a friend.  I mean, a good friend. 

I think the message of CwG is that we might start right there.  And with that alone, we might change the world.

Whew.  What a thought.  Could it be as simple as that?

with love,

Read this week's Letter to Neale here

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Read a message from one of the prisoners impacted by our Prison Outreach HERE