7.20.2009

30 days


The other day my roommate told me about her boyfriend's niece.


She's two.

She had cancer, they thought it was gone, and now it's come back.

And the doctors have given her 30 days to live.


When my roommate told me this my eyes welled up with tears.


30 days.


It got me thinking.
What would you do if you had 30 days to live?




Then I thought about God.

What if he said to us in our pre-earth life,
"You have 78 years..."
"You have 29 years..."
"You have 96 years..."
"You have 45 years..."

"...what will you do?"

Do you think we would answer:

"I will be so annoyed when my waiter makes a mistake."
"I will lose my temper and scream at people I love."
"I will always be right."
"I will be grumpy all day."
"I will make fun of another person because of the way they look."
"I will say unkind things about others."
"I will gossip."
"I will be rude."
"I will be selfish."
"I will get mad."
"I will lie."
"I will cheat."
"I will hate."

I don't know about you, but I don't think any of us planned these activities for our life agenda.

And I will be the first to admit I am certainly guilty of some of these.

Doesn't it all seem ridiculous, the things we worry about?

Such small stupid things we waste time and energy on.

When there are much more important things in this life.

Why is it that we all forget what's important at one time or another?

I think it's all about perspective.



You've heard this before, right?


So have I.


Too soon do I forget and The Man Upstairs reminds me again and again

To cherish life.

Whether you have 30 days or 95 years.




If I had 30 days to live I would...


1. lay on a blanket star gazing on a warm summer's night with a great friend talking about the meaning of life.

2. take an copious amount of pictures of me and people I love.

3. learn a kick-your-butt but beautiful contemporary dance routine.

4. dress up in pretty dresses and slow dance (with a boy, obviously...)

5. see the world as much as I can.

6. eat lots of good food.

7. really like to meet her.

8. go on vacation with my friends.

9. pray and strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

10. spend time with my family.


(I thought of many more, but these will do for now.)


So let's live like we only have 30 days and seize every opportunity to see the beauty all around us, to love everyone around us, and to cherish the life we are given.

Don't waste time on those other things.




Now, I want to know what you would do if you had 30 days to live.


Please share with me.


And maybe I'll do my first little feature on this blog of mine.

email me your lists at

jaybphoto{at}gmail{dot}com



*photo by me. taken from a bus window in Tuscany, Italy.

16 comments:

Ahahgshene said...

this is the most powerful blog i have read today. and i love it. it's very moving.

i'll try and appreciate more things in life :]

Ross said...

sometimes i read your blog and it changes my life a little. and my perspective alot.

thanks jalene.

Sierra said...

30 days...I would count the stars, go skinny dipping, fly to Utah and spend every waking moment with my family, sing every disney song I know, kiss my Big Kiddo, love more, give more, and cherish life to the fullest! Wonderful post - thanks love!

Cat* said...

Thank you for the post!!! Sometimes I forget how great life is and that we have to enjoy every single day. I'm so sorry for the little girl...hopefully her 30 days will be full of love and peace!

ONiC said...

oh my God. thanks to post this. definitely my fave so far, make me thinking about the meaning of life even more. maybe i will print this and put that on my diary if you dont mind.

Anonymous said...

That was beautiful Jalene. I had that reacquiring reminder when Jaman passed away. Life is too short to waste on things of no significance in the eternal perspective. Thanks for yet another reminder. I'll email you my list momentarily! :) Love you!

Sarah Alaoui said...

Thanks for this.

That's all : )

Emily Ballantyne said...

Amen Jalene! Thanks for the reminder. I think we all need it sometimes!

A "cheery" disposition said...

wow such a powerful post. Really made me think.

j.peri said...

i love the picture.
and i love the idea.

my dad has cancer and it's really hard. that's sad. brings tears to my eyes.

thanks.
love,
j.peri

jasmine said...

that is so sad and tragic. i will definitely be praying for her family while they're dealing with this loss.

levi's mom died of brain cancer when he was 19. towards the end, the doctors gave her 3 months to live, and she spent them in her bed surrounded by her family. she stayed positive and kind and kept her faith in God the entire time. i admire her strength so much.

kelly said...

so nice to have had our paths cross. A wonderful post, this one. A wonderful blog find, you are.

Shokoofeh said...

wow!
Thank you Jalene, it was great! I am going to write my own list too...


:)

Sara said...

I agree with Shokoofeh, this is a wonderful post!

Maybe I should write my own list as well..

Cait said...

I would want to meet Nie too. She's one of the women I admire most without having met.

Claire Mercado-Obias said...

This is a very good list =)