Your Last Day on Earth

I'm sure all of you have heard that tomorrow, May 21, 2011, is purposed to be "Judgment Day." The day the lucky few will move up to heaven and the rest will stay down here, dying a slow and painful death in purgatory. At least that's what I heard. Currently, Facebook is flooded with talk about how people are spending their last day on earth. I've seen some say they're taking their family to the amusement park. Others have said they're lazying around in their pjs, watching TV all day. And yet others have said they're treating it like any other day. What am I doing? Well, I haven't really thought about it. My husband has a dental cleaning and my son has soccer practice. Beyond that, I have no idea. No plans, nothing.

What I have thought about, probably deeper than I should, is a reflection of my life. Would I be one of the few to move up to heaven? Hmm, quite possibly not. You know why? Because while the past 8 years, I've been living for my children, for the most part I've still been living for myself. I've been doing everything I can to keep my family afloat, to gain success in the publishing business, and in my career. And you may say I'm entitled to that. That if it weren't for me, my family would crumble. I mean, really, things are pretty crappy at the moment and I'm the one string holding it together. But when you take a step back it's not as bad as it could be. We don't have a child in the hospital having a liver transplant. We haven't lost a family member in a tornado or our house in a flood. We're healthy, have food on the table, clothes on our back, and a roof over our heads. We're actually much better off than the majority of people in this world. And I could be doing so much more for others than I'm doing now. I think my priorities need a reboot.

As writers we all want the brass ring. The agent, the publisher, the best seller list. But does all that really matter when you consider that our life on earth is just a miniscule dot in our eternity? Not really.

I think when we're called to judgement, God's not going to say, "Okay, how successful have you been in life? Agented? Check. Sold tons of books? Check. Made gobs of money? Check. You're in!" It's going to be more, "What acts of kindness have you done? What types of relationships have you formed? Who have you helped to succeed?" He's going to be looking at your heart, not your accomplishments. (Yes, this is me trying to make myself feel better for not having an agent, but it doesn't make it any less true!)

I'm going to share a life learning lesson my father-in-law, Dave, told me. When my husband and his brothers were growing up, Dave ran a family farm. He worked, and worked, and worked. He left the entire child-rearing up to his wife. His children never knew him except to say "Hi," and "Bye." Then one day, the farm split up. A messy court battle that lasted 4 years. Dave was left empty-handed. A life's work down the drain, and three sons he barely knew. Only now, years later, has he built a relationship with his adult children. Life isn't about being successful as it can be taken away from you when you least expect it. It's about forming relationships, opening your heart, and helping others. My father-in-law learned the hard way. And now he's trying to make up for lost time, lost chances at happiness. But I have to say, he's the best grandfather I could ever hope for for my kids! It's never too late to change.

So in the spirit of our last day on earth, I'm putting myself out there to help others succeed in the best way I know how - as a beta tester and all around cheerleader. Just know my critiquing comes from logic and gut reaction. Personally, I trust my gut. I love my gut. You may not. But if you'd like to try me and my gut out I'd be honored to read for you. :) My email is julieloden"at"gmail.com. (Spam bots stay away!)

So do you have any plans for your "last day on earth?"