Cometh the Day.

I met up with a friend I had not seen in a number of years. I say a friend but in fact, she was my first official boss in the teaching profession. My boss yes, but still a very dear friend and it was wonderful to see her again. 

We had many a laugh over the memories shared and the chatter about the intervening years. There was one thing she had in common with so many others of my friends. Actually, she was the second person yesterday to tell me not to say the D, word.

On this blog, I have often said that we never know the day or the hour, so let us make the very best of what we have.

In reality, I hardly or ever speak about Death because I am far too busy talking about life.  So having been stopped from saying the word twice yesterday I say it today when nobody can stop me from saying it. 

So for those of you still reading let me mention some thoughts that put it in context.

When you're old as I am, there are all sorts of extremely pleasant things that happen to you. One of the most pleasant is that you wake up in the night and you find that you are half in and half out of your battered old carcass. 

It seems quite a tossup whether you go back and resume full occupancy of your mortal body, or make off toward the bright glow you see in your inner eye. 

A few days before his death, Dr. F. B. Meyer wrote a very dear friend these words, "I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered that place. 

Don't trouble to write. We may meet in the morning." 

Somebody who learned a great lesson from being exposed to the reality of death was Alexander the Great.

Seeing Diogenes looking attentively at a parcel of human bones, asked the philosopher what he was looking for. 

Diogenes' reply, "That which I cannot find, the difference between your father's bones and those of his slaves." 

There is nothing morbid about the topic of one of life's greatest realities, in fact, for some, there may even be an opportunity.

"Here lies Jamie Smith, wife of Thomas Smith, marble cutter. This monument was erected by her husband as a tribute to her memory and a specimen of his work. 

Monuments of the same style 350 pounds sterling." 

Another way of saying the words I say fairly often are the words on this topic of Thomas a Kempis. I have paraphrased it.

You ought so to order yourself in all your thoughts and actions as if today you were about to die. Labour now to live so, that at the hour of death you might rather rejoice than fear. 

Rejoice indeed, if you are reading this you have the possibility of a wonderful day ahead.