Last-Minute Vitals - What Matters Most in Our Final Days of Life

Not long ago, a very special family member passed away. In our last visits together, we talked about what matters most in life. These treasured final moments opened doors to deeper discovery, as they often do. Somehow, when mortality looms, urgent issues are crowded out by more important concerns.

Here's what I learned. What really counts?

Faith

Is this life really all there is? What lies beyond the threshold of that door we call "death"? Youth may carry a false sense of immortality, but maturity and experience show us otherwise.

Each of us will eventually face the key questions: Do I know my eternal destiny? Do I know my sins have been forgiven? Do I know for sure that God will welcome me to Heaven when I leave my flesh behind?

Sharing truth is the most important gift we can give to our aging loved ones. If they do not have an assurance of eternal salvation, what are we waiting for?

Family

As we grow older, most of us begin to recognize the importance of family ties. Shared history and lifelong relationships take on new meaning.

Hurts, regrets, and other unfinished business must be addressed, while the opportunity remains. Can we leave bitterness behind, and seek reconciliation? Will we ask and grant forgiveness for any ills? Today may be the only chance to make things right with one another. Family unity and future generations may depend on it.

Aging loved ones generally want to make amends, if possible. No one wants to feel guilty about leaving conflicts unresolved, and no one wants to feel guilty about being left behind with festering hurts, either.

Friends

People may spend a lifetime cultivating a vast circle of acquaintances. However, as we near the portal of eternity and reflect back on our lives, most of us yearn for a few of our dearest long-term friends.

If we are blessed with a handful of truly loving, committed, trustworthy comrades, then we are blessed indeed. These are the folks we want all around us, as we contemplate the afterlife.

Fulfillment

Reflecting on a life well-lived is most rewarding. Ask any senior what means the most to him or her. One of the top answers will undoubtedly be the confidence that his or her life made a difference to someone. Each of us hopes to make a mark somehow, to leave footprints in human hearts.

Lifetime fulfillment, we come to realize, originates in relationship to those others. Have we left our heart-prints in the lives of those we love?

Fun

Even in our 80s and 90s, we hope to have a sense of humor. May we not take life, or ourselves, too seriously.

May we remember to laugh . . . those side-splitting, lung-thundering, guffaws of joy.

May we find something to smile about each morning and evening. May we find something funny in everyday living.

Most of all, may we remember to enjoy those we love . . . right up to our very last heartbeat.