Epitaphs revisited

Okay, so... now that I’ve posted those thoughts, here are a couple of things to know:

1. No, I am not planning on dying anytime soon. Nor do I need suicide counseling. At least at this juncture. I am extremely blessed to have the love of a wonderful family and a job that I look forward to going to (when I’m scheduled).
   


2. The whole idea of epitaphs and life as a vapor really had me thinking. Maybe it’s my graphic design side. Maybe it’s my random side. Maybe it’s my desire to get people to think about what life is all about. Or maybe it’s because I’m still trying to make ends meet and move my family into our own place before we all go crazy here at my parents’. Whatever the reason, I’m looking at starting epitaph as a line of designs, mainly for apparel. I’ve submitted a quick design to myshirtcrowd.com for voting. Please submit your votes when it comes up! (I think next month or so?) And let me know what you think.

All in all, I’m hoping that these thoughts and ideas will get you and others to start thinking about what their life is all about. Don’t take it for granted. Please. Love someone until it hurts. Laugh until you cry. Make sure you tell everyone in your life how much they mean to you. No regrets.
Solo Deo Gloria.

Epitaphs revisited

Okay, so... now that I’ve posted those thoughts, here are a couple of things to know:

1. No, I am not planning on dying anytime soon. Nor do I need suicide counseling. At least at this juncture. I am extremely blessed to have the love of a wonderful family and a job that I look forward to going to (when I’m scheduled).
   
2. The whole idea of epitaphs and life as a vapor really had me thinking. Maybe it’s my graphic design side. Maybe it’s my random side. Maybe it’s my desire to get people to think about what life is all about. Or maybe it’s because I’m still trying to make ends meet and move my family into our own place before we all go crazy here at my parents’. Whatever the reason, I’m looking at starting epitaph as a line of designs, mainly for apparel. I’ve submitted a quick design to myshirtcrowd.com for voting. Please submit your votes when it comes up! (I think next month or so?) And let me know what you think.

All in all, I’m hoping that these thoughts and ideas will get you and others to start thinking about what their life is all about. Don’t take it for granted. Please. Love someone until it hurts. Laugh until you cry. Make sure you tell everyone in your life how much they mean to you. No regrets.
Solo Deo Gloria.

Epitaphs

Epitaphs. They’re a funny thing, aren’t they? Take Alexander the Great, for example. His reads: "A tomb now suffices for him whom the world was not enough." Mel Blanc’s reads, "That’s all folks."

Some of you may remember the ubiquitous commercial for Tombstone frozen pizza - "What do you want on your tombstone?" Jack Handey of SNL’s "Deep Thoughts" fame once wrote, "I hope that when I die, people will say, ’Gosh, that guy sure owed me a lot of money’."

But what really is the summary of a life? And what will be written on my tombstone? What will be remembered of me? I mean, here I am, 31 years old -- a husband, a father... pianist... friend?

I guess you can blame all of this on TNT’s decision to air the movie, "Meet Joe Black" a couple of weeks ago. Of course, as life goes, I missed the end of the movie on TV, and so when I saw the DVD at the library, I went to check it out. As the final scenes played out on the screen, it was Anthony Hopkin’s words that struck me the most. Facing the certainty of death, he faced it bravely, stating these poignant phrases in a conversation with his daughter:

"I want you to know how much I love you.... Don’t worry about me... I have no regrets. And I want you to feel the same way. Everything’s going to be okay."
"I love you Daddy."
"That’s why it’s going to be okay."

And it hit me. What legacy am I leaving behind? James 4:14 says it best: "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (NKJV) What am I doing with the time I have here? If I were to die tonight... is everything going to be okay?

We spend so much of our lives searching... wanting... wishing... and in 31 short years, so much can happen. How many years do I have left? We don’t know. The Bible reminds us that it’s "appointed unto a man once to die, and then the judgement." (Hebrews 9:27) What will be left on my epitaph? What single memory will my life hold for those whom I hold dear?

Lord, help me to make a positive difference in the lives of those around me. Let me rest knowing that if I were to die tonight, everything will be okay. Not because of what has been settled or not in my bank accounts. Not because I have or haven’t obtained everything I wished for here. But let it be because I chose to love as Christ did. And let that make all the difference.

Amen.

So tired....

It's 10am in the morning now, as I gaze blankly into the computer screen. "Write something!," my brain tells me. "I know!," I speak into the empty oblivion. "But what?" No response. Like I expected one. Nobody else is here.

But there it was. "Come home." The words reverberate in my head. "Ye who are weary... come home."

"But I'm not done yet! You don't know what I want to do still!," my mind protests, though my body and soul are weary and urge me to think and say otherwise.

"It's time to stop blaming the world. Time to stop moping and feeling sorry for yourself."

"Okay," I sigh. "So, what's next?"

Thus begins another chapter in this life. The weak and weary traveller. On the road to...? Who knows? All I know is that I'm learning quickly that sunny paths aren't always in the forecast. Life isn't always what you want it to be. And... well... if it was, then there wouldn't be a way for the dirt and the grime to wash away.

I guess that's my prayer. That's my hope. Is that the storm is passing. That these dark clouds that have been shadowing me will bring a much-needed cleansing rain to my tired soul. And maybe... just maybe... there'll be some friends to meet me out in the rain.

After these messages...

Okay, so I've got lots to post and lots to say, but no time and ability to do so... So, for the moment, sit back, relax, and enjoy these quick little tidbits of fun:

"This is Not a Game",
an article from the New Yorker Magazine
and "Animation vs. Animator"
from Deviantart.com

(ht to marko)