By Bill Kleis
I visited with one of my neighbors a couple weeks ago when he was walking by. He said he had just seen his doctor and was assured he wasn’t going to die from anything serious. The more I think about that, the funnier it becomes.
At age 79, I have been more conscious of my friendships this year because of some losses and some health issues. I am doing a better job of taking the initiative to keep in touch with the people in my huddle, and that has been very rewarding. Last week, I traveled a total of six hours to spend 10 minutes with a 98-year-old friend just so I could tell him I loved him. I am so glad I did that. Time stands still when we are with our close friends. My volunteer time with the poor gives me that same feeling which is hard to explain, so I won’t try.
I rewrote my obituary recently, and it gets shorter each time. It starts by saying I died peacefully in my sleep. That may not happen, but it’s a nice thought. There will be a sentence identifying the family I left behind, and then it will say the following: “I am grateful for all the advantages I had in life. I am truly sorry for hurting anyone, and I hope that I have been forgiven. Sometimes I certainly failed, and for those times, I count on His mercy which endures forever. I loved my family and all the people I had in my huddle. I am grateful that my wife put up with my flaws.”
My wife is an accountant and handles all the finances. She told me that I will be in big trouble if she dies first. That is true for sure. I’m afraid to ask what she has in mind if I die first. Whatever it is, I guess she won’t be in big trouble. Hopefully you will not die from anything serious, or anytime soon, and you will have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year!
Bill Kleis is a retired psychologist who lives in Rochester, Minnesota, and part of the End in Mind community.
