Tuesday, May 31, 2011

15 minutes to live

I can't believe that I am doing this, but I have signed up for the #Trust30 writing challenge.  #Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey. You can see the details here.

So here I am on Day 1.

The Prompt

Gwen Bell - 15 Minutes to Live


We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.


1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.


2. Write the story that has to be written.

Here I sit, with a mere 15 minutes to live.  15 short minutes to try to express a life-time of gratitude and love to all those that touched my life.  My heart is filled with Love for every single person I have come in contact with in my lifetime.  Yes, everyone.  Even that snobby freshman year roommate I had in college.  Even my first true love who left me for another who made his heart shine more than I did.  All of the contacts that I have had with people in this lifetime sit with me in these 15 minutes.  They remind of the joy, pain and sorrow that have molded me into who I am today. 

I feel so much gratitude for having been given the life that I have.  I will leave behind 1 adoring man, 6 beautiful children, 1 amazing daughter-in-law, 1 perfect grandbaby and countless friends.  I also leave behind 5 siblings, whom I love dearly and have always loved dearly.  I have not been able to express this love with my siblings very freely, but this love has always been true and big. 

My struggles have been many.  Mistakes have been made along the path, but I would change nothing.  Not one thing.  I know that life happens to all of us exactly the way it is meant to happen.  I believe that I have made all the choices I have made because those were the events that had to happen.  Every consequence that I had to face was crucial to helping me become the person I am today.  This last day of my life.

I need all of the people in my life to know that I loved my life and that I loved my chance to know each and every one of you.  I want to send you all this message.  Live your life to the fullest.  Don't doubt your inner guidance for a minute.  You can be all that you want to be.  Even if the whole world around you yells that you have to change.  You don't have to change.  You have to be you.  You get to chose how to live this life.  You get to learn from the good and the bad. 

Love with all your heart.  Don't regret anything.  Just do things differently if need be.  Let your light shine bright for all to see.  Keeping it dim will only leave you wondering what could have been.  My short 44 years on this earth have been well spent.  They have brought me to this place where I need to be.  I am happy, joyous and free.  Make sure that you are all of those things every day, because you never know when you will have 15 minutes to live. 

My last minute is here.  I love you, I honor you and I will be with you whenever you need me.  Keep it shiny!!

Just my thoughts.



2 comments:

Linda Myers said...

Oh, my. Thank you.

Megzspeakz said...

I love it, Jill.. your wonderful spirit shines through it all!!

Care,
Megz XOXO