What If Today is THE Day?

A friend and I went to a funeral mass for a dear friend who passed away at age 85 and, as it often happens, we looked at all the snow white-haired people attending with us. I remarked to her, "What if today is my day to die? I don't know if I'm ready yet as I have lots of closet cleaning to do."

We giggled just a bit and then turned serious as the mass began. I didn't understand too many of the priests' words as English is probably his 3rd language, and most definitely not his first tongue. I also am not Catholic, so I didn't know all the rituals and the responses one should give at key moments of the service. As the priest prattled on about Sue and her equally departed husband Jim, one of the grey-haired men we had been talking about, Larry, fell off his feet and onto the pew.

Larry's wife went into immediate panic, bursting into tears and trying to get her husband to respond to her. One of the men who had been sitting across the aisle jumped up and came over to see what was amiss. Larry was unconscious, 9-1-1 was called, and the wife kept trying to get her husband to come around and respond, which he ultimately did. The paramedics arrived and got him onto a gurney and then off to the hospital.

As my friend and I were sitting there -- and the rest of the congregation was congregated around poor Larry's prostrate form, I said, "Let's depart. There is nothing we can do to help and no reason to sit here and see what comes next." She agreed and we left the church.

Over a cup of coffee and a slice of pie at the local Denny's, I recalled my somewhat prophetic words, "What if today were my last day?" Am I be ready? No, I'm not--but ready or not, each one's day comes. I'm sure it's not Larry's last day, but it is a wake-up for all of us elderly people to cherish each day and not put off what needs to be done today.