What will we miss?

Sitting here this morning, thinking some long thoughts

I've always joked that, genetically, I wasn't going to see 60 but here I am, 61. Outlived most of my Hathaway ancestors, my Dad, my Uncle...It's just a few cousins and myself at this point and I got to thinking about what is important in these last years of my life.

Which also made me realize that we all, right now and from minute one, are enjoying the Last Days of Our Lives! Maybe, the last minutes or seconds. None of us knows. Maybe we will live a long time and then experience our bodies wearing out and slowly fading away...the place I find myself. Or, you might get hit by a stray bullet from down the street right now, while you're reading this!

When I leave this worn out old body and move on, through the veil and into a spirit life, what might I miss the most? My body hasn't been banged up or broken. It's just wearing out and getting tired. Nothing dramatic. Just that I'm smart enough to know that there are only a few years ahead of me, if that. So, can a spirit feel physical things? My understanding is that we cannot. That was one of the main purposes of our life here on Earth; to enjoy the experience of living in a physical body. So, what's important to me physically? How about you? Tell us in the comments what you think.

Hugs. That tingly feeling of having someone you love and who loves you tightly hold you in an embrace. I think your spirits talk during those moments. Such a simple thing but rates right up there at the top of things I'm guessing spirits can't do without bodies. Speaking of hugs; that soft fluffy cat, purring in my arms. Their spirits and mine can talk just as well and I know they do.

Food. Bacon, chocolate, steak, spaghetti, cake and cookies. A good hot cup of coffee in the morning to wash down the pancakes that are covered with my own raspberry jam. As a fat cook, I could go on and on about things I'll miss eating.

A cool breeze softly sweeping over my face, ruffling my hair and then sighing it's way through the pines. Sunshine on my shoulders! That sudden shock of the cold water as I dive into the Madison River! Cold Montana air with the crunch of subzero temperature snow under my feet. Coming from outside in the super cold and into a house that's 70 degrees warmer. The smell of woodsmoke.

I remember jogging for miles. It was a chore then. Something I Had to do to keep in fighting shape. Today, I dream of being able to run across the street or race an elevator upstairs...and WIN! Right! Just being able to get in and out of the car without pain would be a step in the right direction today! Or be able to bend over and pick up a coin without having to think it over and decide if that coin is worth the effort.

Maybe such introspection as I'm "enjoying" this morning can help me be a better person. Have I hugged enough? Have I loved enough? How about Joann, my kids, my Ex-wife(?) family and friends...all the other important people in my life? Have I made it clear how much I love them? So there's no question left when I'm not here to answer? I'm not sure. I hope so.

I can tell you this, with no reservation. There IS a Spirit Existence. I've experienced close contact with the Holy Ghost and, whatever questions and doubts I might have about some aspects of the Gospel, I can tell you, absolutely, that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost exist. There IS another world ahead of us just as there was a Pre-existence behind. Everything in this world was made in Spirit before it was created here on the Earth and we all will return to that existence. You might not believe such things. You might believe these things with your mind but not know them in your heart. I don't just believe. I know. No matter how unfair and tragic I might think parts of my life have been and no matter how much outright anger I might feel at times about it; I can never deny the Peace, Warmth, Serenity and overall Comfort I enjoyed one time. I remember this when I begin to doubt. I remember what it was like to have The Spirit hold me for a few moments. I don't have the vocabulary to describe it. I doubt that many do.

So. Hug your loved ones. Pet your cat. Play with your dog. Eat that ice cream cone! Have a cookie. Sit in the sun while you read a book and listen to the breeze passing through the trees above. Be nice or even helpful to someone you don't know and might never meet again. Enjoy it now as it could be gone in an instant.

If you think it or you feel it, say it..."I Love You".