Death. Wow! Thats a negative way to begin a story! But is it, really?
Death is the subject no one wants to discuss, but everyone will experience. No one escapes death. Death is the elephant in the room. Its the forbidden word. We don’t want to talk about dying, we don’t want to think about dying, and we definitely don’t want to see dying.
Contrary to what some seem to think, no one lives on this earth forever. We all die. Its the circle of life. We are born, we live, we die. If death is inevitable, why are we so fearful to discuss? Even among those who claim to be believers in Jesus as Savior and say they know there is a heaven waiting, if you bring up the subject, they will quickly switch to another topic. Ask a friend or family member about their Will, their last wishes, etc., they will get upset, tell you its none of your business, or dance around the subject like the late, great, Gregory Hines!
Candy Chang had a different idea about death. After losing someone she loved dearly, she channeled her grief into an artistic project; on the side of an abandoned house in a blighted neighborhood in New Orleans. Candy covered the house in chalkboard paint and wrote on the wall, “Before I Die I Want To”. Then, she left a bucket full of chalk on the sidewalk and waited for the response.
One of the first people to write on the wall was dressed like pirate and wrote, “Before I die I want to be convicted of piracy!” ( I am guessing this was after overindulging during Mardis Gras!) Another wrote, “Before I die I want to to see my daughter graduate.” Yet another, “Before I die I want to hold her one more time.” The wall soon filled with the hopes and dreams of all who took time to write on the wall.
What happened on the “Before I Die” wall was remarkable in this way; The people who wrote on the wall didn’t speak of death. They spoke of life. You see, when one dies, another is born. When one breathes his last breath, another is breathing his first. Without the death of Winter there is no beauty of Spring. Death brings forth the resurrection of life. Dying is gain.
So today, get out a paper and a pen. Write, “Before I Die I Want To.” Finish the sentence, and then Go Live!
As always, your comments are welcome!
Dennis Shannon
The Lonesome Leaker 