Tuesday 13 July 2010

Begin with the end in mind....


...On our last evening in Austria, we took a final walk around the village and through their cementry. The grave stones and gardens were all so beautiful, filled with beautiful flowers and lots of colour. (I love to walk around grave yards -I know I´m weird)

All the grave stones had pictures of the people who had died engraved (or stuck) on them. It got me thinking. I was wondering about the different people. Did they achieve what they set out to do with their life? What were their dreams? Did they make a difference in anyones life? Were people glad when they came around or did people dread seeing them?


Well I voiced all this to Kristian and the kids who looked at me weirdly and told me that I was being far too deep for the last evening of a holiday!! (Honestly!)


Anyway this made me think about a book I have been reading..."The 7 habits of highly effective people". One of the chapters begins by telling you to go somewhere were you can be alone. (so go on - find a lonely spot!) then close your eyes and imagine yourself at a funeral. You see the beautiful flowers, you hear the organ music, you see friends and family, colleagues and neighbours. You walk down to the front of the room and look inside the coffin, and there you come face to face with yourself. This is your funeral, three years from today!


(When you get over the shock!) You take a seat and wait for the service to begin. As you look at the program you see there are 4 speakers; a family member, a friend, a colleague and someone from your church. What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What difference would you like to have made in their lives? (Now go do it! write down those things!)


This is your ultimate goal in life. You begin with the end in mind. By keeping that end clearly in mind you can make certain that each day of your life contributes in a meaningful way to the vision you have of your life as a whole.

I thought this was brilliant!!


I started thinking about this tonight as I packed for Ireland. The memory card in my camera needed emptied and there were photos from our last evening in Austria on it, which I had forgotten about. Seeing the cementry brought back what I was thinking that last night. I just thought I would share it with you.


And the picture above is one of my favourite spots in Austria. I loved that field. Just want to let you know that I will live here one day....wait and see!! This is were I am going to spend eternity in heaven. It is here God is giving me my log cabin!! (with the big fire place!) And in heaven I am not going to have a cat as a pet but a lion!!! and every day I will hop on its back and it will run through that field at top speed, with me holding fast to its hair while screaming my lungs out!! It´s going to be great fun!! I honestly can´t wait - and I am not joking!!!

Ok - one more deep thought for the evening;

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us! (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

Good night all - I´m off to bed. The bags are packed the passports and tickets ready - tomorrow evening I´m sleeping in Ireland. (Wish the whole family were going though! )

4 comments:

lisa said...

How weird is this, Ronnie and I were talking last night about going to Glasnevin cemetery (outside Dublin) for a day out!! We too love graveyards, very peaceful and full of history. That graveyard looks beautiful by the way.

By time you read this you will be in not-so-sunny Belfast, its been lashing the whole day! Maybe you can bring the sun home with you ha ha!!

Anonymous said...

Your right Lisa, graveyards are very peaceful and full of history;
that's why people are dying to get into them. Thought I would write you while I'm waiting their arrival. Blessings, Lauras Dad.

lisa said...

Ha ha very funny Jim!! Thanks for writing, you must be very excited waiting on them, enjoy the calm before the storm!!

Stuart and Pauline said...

Talking about storms, it's absolutely pouring it down here, well needed though. It hasn't rained for weeks!!!

Anyway, Laura I loved your picture of Heaven. I'm going to work in the chocolate factory!!!!

When I was in Cardiff, we took the youth fellowship to the graveyard for a visit. It was a Thursday night and they loved it. All the stories about the people and what the different symbols mean. I didn't actually think I would enjoy it, but I did.