Unfinished Business

I am the undisputed prince of procrastination. So if you are anything like me, you’ve been putting some important things off in life. And that life offers little in the way of long term guarantees . So ... got your house completely in order? Do you have a will, life insurance, burial plans, contingent plans for your house and business? Those are the big things everyone thinks about and perhaps they would be an indicator of our level of preparation and forethought. Financial plans are important and we should certainly have them straightened out in advance so as not to be a burden upon others. That kind of planning is also an indication that we care enough about those close to us to take a proactive approach to insuring their well being. However, there are many people who have taken care of most of the above items, and then some, but still overlooked important aspects of their lives and relationships. There is an older Garth Brooks song I like which contains the lyrics, "if tomorrow never comes, would she know how much I love her. Did I try in every day to show her every day that she’s my only one." If we are willing to take care of things financially, how much more should we desire to leave our emotional houses in order. Yet, how many people do you know who haven’t spoken to a child, parent, friend or other loved one in years? How many folks do you know you have blown their families apart for selfish reasons? Parents who have somehow failed to convey their love and approval? Children who have done the same? How many people do you know who may have sound financial investments, but have failed utterly when it came to investing in their personal relationships? The list goes on and on. How would you leave things if you slipped in the bathtub tomorrow, if you choked on a chicken bone, if a drunk driver ran you down, or a doctor rocked your world with dreadful news? We all have varying degrees and amounts of unfinished business in this life. Can we really afford to put those things off until sometime in the distant, but as yet unsure, future? This may be the time to finally put your house in order. When we do so we must always remember that the most important contents of our proverbial houses are the people who live inside them. If your tomorrow never comes, make sure that they do know how much you love them ... and rest assured they may appreciate your money, but what they really want is your heart. That is our true legacy.

Unfinished Business
What if the future, which seemed so bright
Was suddenly stripped away
By a doctor, whose prognosis shrank my life
To a week or a matter of days
What if the clock was ticking right now
And each second, more precious than gold
Was slipping away with my hopes and dreams
And I knew I would never grow old
Once the shock and the disbelief settled a bit
Being faced with such certain demise
I would scrutinize each of the hours remaining
And be forced to prioritize
Suddenly, things which had mattered so much
Would wither and fade from my view
As the people and things I had planned to put off
Climbed the list of what I ought to do
Contracts and calendars would simply be chaff
Discarded and thrown to the wind
While the value of handshakes and hugs emerged
As more meaningful acts to deal in
Family and friends, so often ignored
In the course of my other pursuits
Would receive the attention they always deserved
As I was grasping, too late, at my roots
Yes, life would be different and so would I
In the light of eternity
My last days would not be like previous ones
Once the news had been broken to me
But if I know now what matters the most
And I admit my short comings, why wait
Why not just change while my whole life can count
Instead of patching up things far too late
Because building a life, and relationships
Is like planning for retirement
In the end, value comes from what was invested
And we regret what was squandered and spent
We work so hard to accumulate
What one day we'll be forced to discard
But the man who has given himself through the years
May not find his last days quite so hard
As the old saying goes, you can't take it with you
Yet I think, in a way, that we can
If we choose to invest in the people we love
Sacrificing for our fellow man
For there are treasures which cannot be bought
Which will last far beyond this short life
They exist in the legacy we choose to leave
For our children and husbands and wives
So if there are things you've been putting off
Don't wait 'till your life is through
Make your time count so that when it is gone
You won't regret what you didn't do
By Frank Carpenter ©