You will be remembered
Not for the money you earned,
Not for the things you collected,
Not for the people you voted for,
Not for the titles or the praises.
You will be remembered
For the kindness you showed,
For the people you made smile,
For the hands you held, and
For the quiet help you offered
When no one was watching.
Life’s true worth
Is measured in the hearts you have touched.
My Reflection:
I’ve never heard anyone at a funeral say, “I wish he had made more money.” Or, “If only she had bought a bigger house.”
But I’ve heard people say, through their tears, “I wish I could hear his laugh one more time.” Or, “I’d give anything for one more hug.”
Isn’t that interesting? The things we spend our lives accumulating are seldom the things people miss when we’re gone.
In my 57 years as a priest, I’ve celebrated hundreds of funerals. And I’ve noticed something remarkable. Families seldom talk about the deceased person’s bank account or professional accomplishments.
Instead, they say things like:
“She always made everyone feel welcome.”
“He never forgot a birthday.”
“She was there when my husband died.”
“He made me laugh when I thought I’d never smile again.”
Isn’t that what really matters? Jesus certainly thought so. In Matthew’s Gospel, He tells us that when we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, or care for someone in need, we are doing those things for Him. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Notice that Jesus doesn’t ask how successful we were. He asks how loving we were.
And often, the most beautiful things we do are the little things nobody else notices.
A phone call. A kind word. A forgiving heart. A hand held in silence.
Someday, everything we own will belong to someone else. But the love we gave away will remain.
If YOUR life ended tomorrow, would people remember what you accumulated — or how much you loved? Because in the end, the greatest legacy we leave isn’t what we owned. It’s who we loved — and how well we loved them.
YOU ARE JUST ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM ETERNITY!
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