Michael Josephson, © 2003
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Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes,
hours or days.All things you collected, whether treasured or
forgotten, will pass to someone else.Your wealth, fame and temporal power
will shrivel to irrelevance.Your grudges, resentments, frustrations
and jealousies will finally disappear.So too your hopes, ambitions, plans, and
to-do lists will expire.The lesson plans, staff meetings, parent conferences
and school house polities that once deemed
so important will fade away.The annual parade of fresh faces will and the noises
of chattering children, stuff feet and slamming
lockers will be heard no longer.It won't matter how much you earned, the car you
drove or the street you live on in the end.So what will matter? How will the value of your days
be measured?What will matter is not your success,
but your significance.What will matter is your every act of dedication,
passion and example that enriched,
empowered and enlarged young minds.What will matter is not how many people you
taught, but how many lives you touch.What will matter is the way you honored your
parents, loved your children and supported
your friends.What will matter are not your memories, but the
memories that live in those who loved you.What will matter is how long you will be
remembered, by whom and for what.What will matter is not your competence,
but your character.Living a life that matters doesn't happen
by accident.It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choosing to teach is choosing to live
a life that matters.