With Gratitude for the Time

I was listening to a TED radio podcast not long ago, and I was struck by a New Orleans artist named Candy Chang who has a beautiful TED talk.  One day, not far from her home, she noticed an old abandoned building and thought about how she could take that building and make that a nicer space for her neighborhood.  She went on to say this, “…I also thought about something that changed my life forever. In 2009, I lost someone I loved very much… Her death was sudden and unexpected. And I thought about death a lot, and this made me feel deep gratitude for the time I’ve had and brought clarity to the things that are meaningful to my life now. But I struggle to maintain this perspective in my daily life. I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you.”

After getting permission from the owners and the town, Chang covered one side of the abandoned building with chalkboard paint, creating a work of art out of an eyesore. Then she stenciled the words, “Before I die I want to_____(blank)___. She repeated this 80 times!

Then, she placed a bucket of chalk near the wall. Before she even finished the project, people were stopping by asking if they could contribute. One of the first people to do so was a man dressed as a pirate. He finished the sentence, “Before I die, I want to be tried for piracy.”

Others wrote:  Before I die, I want to straddle the International Date Line… Before I die, I want to sing for millions… Before I die, I want to plant a tree… Before I die, I want to hold her one more time… Before I die, I want to be completely myself…

It is beautiful to me that the wall actually didn’t make people think about death so much as it made them think about life…. It caused many people to focus on the things in life that really matter.

Earlier in the month, I quoted Psalm 90 which prays: “Teach me to count my days that I may gain a wise heart.” With gratitude for the gift of life and the time I’ve been given, I close with that same prayer.

Let us pray: Eternal God, before whom generations rise and fall, as we sit on the edge of this new year, I pray with the psalmist that you would teach me to count my days… Teach me to count my days that my perspective might be restored… Teach me to count my days, that I might be reminded again of those things that bring deeper richer meaning to life. Teach me to count my days that I might remember who I am – and who’s I am – in the grand scope of eternity. Teach me to count my days that I might be more truly grateful for the gift of the time I have left.  Teach me – teach us – to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. We ask in Christ’s name. Amen.