Have you ever thought about how you'd live 30 days of your life if you knew it was your last 30 days to live?

I lead a men's group on Sunday mornings in Bible study, prayer, and life discussions. I recently came across the book, One Month to Live, by Kerry Shook (and his wife). I'm reading the book now and the group of men are taking the challenge with me - to live the next 30 days like it is your last.

Now I'm not talking about a "bucket list" mentality of quitting your job, skydiving, and renting a Lamborghini for a month...:noway: I'm talking about how would it effect your relationship with your wife, kids, parents, friends, family, etc... how would it change your priorities?

The book by Shook discusses four principles for living, and they are to:
(1) Live Passionately
(2) Love Completely
(3) Learn Humbly
(4) Leave Boldly

My brother-in-law's mother is facing this right now. She is battling terminal cancer and very likely has 30 days or less left to live. I visited with her for a couple of hours recently and this is the main thing that got me thinking along these lines. She is very courageously facing death with the hope she has of knowing this isn't the end. She made a statement that has stuck in my mind..."I don't know how much time I have left, but I'm not going to waste one minute of it worrying or feeling sorry for myself - I'm going to live until I die."

Anyway... just wanted to challenge some thinking today and encourage you to check out this book if you get a chance. It's worth reading.

Mark

Anyone with only 30 days to live should move to Dexter MN. It's so boring here, every day seems like an eternity. l:)

I'm sure you'd see things very differently if you only had a short time left on this planet,problem is your health would probably preclude you from living large when the end is near.

I know I'd like to drive my cars until I couldn't but quite possibly,those priorities would change as well.

My dad died in 2007 on my birthday after a 5 year battle with cancer and I started to have a different outlook on life. But then 7 months later a close friend of mine ,who was not much older than me ,died suddenly. I definitely changed my way of thinking. I decided if I want to do, see or buy anything , I'm going to do it as long as it is within my means. I also try to tell those close to me that I love them everyday, not just by saying it but in the way I treat them. I'm just trying to be an all around better person to everyone. I guess God has his ways of opening your eyes to things you might take for granted.

Anyone with only 30 days to live should move to Dexter MN. It's so boring here, every day seems like an eternity. l:)

Derek have you ever been up here??:boring:

Wow...sad story.

yes, have thought about it. Not sure what Id do..except for a few things in life Ive gotten them all outta my system...heck I cant even think of one person to leave anything to.

Anyone with only 30 days to live should move to Dexter MN. It's so boring here, every day seems like an eternity. l:)

l:)l:)l:)

I'm talking about how would it effect your relationship with your wife, kids, parents, friends, family, etc... how would it change your priorities?

Thats the part that I keep thinking about. Hasnt been any for over 20 yrs, doubt Id tell them a thing or leave anything to the vultures. Maybe an aquaintance or two that wasnt expecting it....surprise them.

For our challenge, the intent is not to prepare to die in 30 days... it's to learn to live to the fullest each day of your life. We'd all agree that we don't know when our time is gonna end, right? So knowing that my life could possibly end tomorrow, I'm gonna live today to the fullest! I'm gonna hug my wife and kids every chance I get. I'm gonna make sure the people I love actually know it. I'm not going to put off until tomorrow things that I feel are important, because I have no guarantee that I'll be here tomorrow. When I shell out of this body, my wife and kids/grandkids are gonna have no doubt that they were loved by me.

There's a lot more to it, but that's what I'm focused on right now.

Thanks for the discussion... this is good stuff!

I have thought about it a lot lately. Lost mom 8/17/07, dad 6/5/09, and grandma 9/29/09. Being only 36 with 2 small kids, I have really tried to be available to them, but at the same time making sure they become good people. That's why I have no problems saying my car can wait a year and they can't. Yeah, it helps me out a lot too.

What would I do? I guess it depends on if it would be a sudden thing, a degenerative thing, or ongoing. I heard/read (I forget) about a gal who was dying and she started reading books to her kids via video, as well as writing stuff down and making a record of what she really wanted to pass on to her kids. I like the idea of not only making the memories now, but still passing on yourself later too.

...Being only 36 with 2 small kids, I have really tried to be available to them, but at the same time making sure they become good people. That's why I have no problems saying my car can wait a year and they can't. Yeah, it helps me out a lot too.

What would I do? I guess it depends on if it would be a sudden thing, a degenerative thing, or ongoing. I heard/read (I forget) about a gal who was dying and she started reading books to her kids via video, as well as writing stuff down and making a record of what she really wanted to pass on to her kids. I like the idea of not only making the memories now, but still passing on yourself later too.

I have thought about the video thing too... I figure the family wouldn't even have to know I was making them... Especially since I am usually the one behind the camera...

I agree on the "car can wait" mentality... I enjoy working on my car, but since having kids, I try NOT to take away from the time we spend together ( mostly the same with how I spend time with the wife)... When I get some free time, I usually see what the wife and kids are up to, and if there's anything I can do to make them happy... And THEN I'll go work on the Chevelle... Of course, thats why I don't get much done on the Chevelle lately...

I also agree on the idea of letting everone I love know it. My father died when I was 15, and I always wonder if I let him know that I appreciated him, etc...

It would be THE END ALL BE ALL of "Hold my beer and watch this!"

I honestly think I would do my very best to "put down" as many gangbangers as I could. Not in a hail of glory kind of deal but picking them off one by one. Maybe going a little bit "Dexter" on the world (for those that know the show - he is an idol of mine)

Family know without a doubt what they mean to me and how much I love them all so I think I would just do my part to make every neighborhood within reasonable driving distance just a little bit safer for the good folks.

It would be THE END ALL BE ALL of "Hold my beer and watch this!"

I honestly think I would do my very best to "put down" as many gangbangers as I could. Not in a hail of glory kind of deal but picking them off one by one. Maybe going a little bit "Dexter" on the world (for those that know the show - he is an idol of mine)

Family know without a doubt what they mean to me and how much I love them all so I think I would just do my part to make every neighborhood within reasonable driving distance just a little bit safer for the good folks.

You taking out the gangbangers the way you descrobed, made me think of one thing:
YouTube - John Carpenter's Christine - The Death of Moochie Welch

YouTube - Christine gas station scene

Wow...sad story.

yes, have thought about it. Not sure what Id do..except for a few things in life Ive gotten them all outta my system...heck I cant even think of one person to leave anything to.

How bout me?:D

When I was in middle school, my grandma was told she had less than a month to live, she consulted a couple more doctors, all of which had the same thing to say.

She wrote them a letter consisting of a five word message: "F**K OFF! I'LL SHOW YOU!" I remember going to see her, it was Christmas vacation, and I was in sixth grade. We were told to say our final goodbyes. We left and thought it would be the last time we saw her. We then went back to see her ONE MORE TIME for summer vacation 6 months later, then christmas again 4 months later, then summer, then christmas etc... All in all, my grandma, who was told she wouldn't make it 30 days in 1998 passed away in 2005!

When I was in middle school, my grandma was told she had less than a month to live, she consulted a couple more doctors, all of which had the same thing to say.

She wrote them a letter consisting of a five word message: "F**K OFF! I'LL SHOW YOU!" I remember going to see her, it was Christmas vacation, and I was in sixth grade. We were told to say our final goodbyes. We left and thought it would be the last time we saw her. We then went back to see her ONE MORE TIME for summer vacation 6 months later, then christmas again 4 months later, then summer, then christmas etc... All in all, my grandma, who was told she wouldn't make it 30 days in 1998 passed away in 2005!

I love those stories. It shows the idiocy of many "doctors" out there. Now mine, knows what he doing. Many others, though, couldn't tell direah from a heart attack.:noway: