Dearly beloved!

A little over a week ago,last Sunday to be exact, while attending morning services,I found my mind wandering. I was thinking that it had been a couple (maybe 2) weeks without attending a funeral,a rarity in my world.I also realized that we were just a few short weeks away from the High Holidays, a time of year that traditionally seems to bring about a number of these events. Why this came to mind I have no idea,however it seems to have opened the gates,literally the pearly ones.
Over the last few years, my attitude toward the whole death experience has changed. While surely in each and every case there will be fond memories, and some amount of heart break,ultimately for those of us left here on Earth, life will go on. And it must.
Life in every case is just to short. No one ever wants it to end. There is no tomorrow once that day comes. There will be no more smiles,hellos,mornings or sunsets.So I don't dwell on it. 
Coincidentally, in an email from my friend and mentor John Maxwell, he spoke about this subject today.He wrote:

David,

Have you ever thought about this? When your time comes to leave this earth, how many people will attend your funeral? I’ve heard that on average only 10 people are likely to cry at your funeral, and only ⅓ of the people invited will show up if it rains. I don’t know about you, but I hope a good number of my friends and family are sad to see me go. Now, maybe you don’t think it matters. But look at it this way: The people who show up at your funeral may represent the entire impact you’ve had in your lifetime.

While my mentor's words are something I have thought about in the past, I have come to understand that looking ahead to my funeral is not how I want to lead my life. Who will or who will not attend is not of any concern to me.It will be what it will be. My wish is to live as much and as long as I possibly can.

My take away each and every time I attend a funeral today is how grateful I am to be here. My responsibility to that gratitude is to make sure I live each and every day as fully as I possibly can. For me that does not mean going sky diving or climbing Mt. Everest.My bucket list is much different than that.
So what does my bucket list look like?
That's a great question and one that I will start right here and now: 
Be grateful every single day!
Let every one I love know how much I love them.
Touch as many people as I can on a daily basis.
Smile!
Be brave!
Be intentional.
Be positive.
This is a good start.
I had coffee with a dear friend yesterday. He commented on my writing saying"yeah all that positive stuff is a good thing but...."
No but's!
There are no but's!
It just is!