“Am I afraid to die? I am every time I let myself be seduced by the noisy voices of my world telling me that my ‘little life’ is all I have and advising me to cling to it with all my might. But when I let these voices move to the background of my life and listen to that small soft voice calling me the Beloved, I know that there is nothing to fear and that dying is the greatest act of love, the act that leads me into the eternal embrace of my God whose love is everlasting” (Henri Nouwen).

I normally do not fixate on death. I’m not like the Woody Allen character in Hannah and Her Sisters who is obsessed with the possibility that he might be dying.

But lately, death has been on my mind a little more than usual. Maybe it’s hearing how Jan Hooks, former Saturday Night Live cast member, passed away recently from an undisclosed illness at age 57.

Not to be morbid, but every one of us will die sooner or later. The question isn’t how we will die but how we will live until that moment comes and God calls us home.

When you live as if this could be your very last day, your priorities change. Suddenly, it’s not so important to be in a hurry or get a lot of things done, but rather to spend time doing what you love and being near those whom you love.

My pastor always says that gold isn’t the currency in heaven. It’s pavement. Love is the currency in heaven.

So how are you investing your love now? Are you making time for those you love? I know I personally have longed to talk with family members who have passed away and imagine the conversations we might have.

Oh yeah, I had a great night. I spent time in Franklin and visited all my favorite places there and took in some not-quite-fallish weather (it was warm enough for me to wear shorts comfortably).