This Week's Question--What Matters?

What things matter to you most in life?

I knew immediately how to answer this question.  Gerry said it is the most difficult one for him.   My answer has four parts.

Most important: 1. Family.  By that, I specifically mean my immediately family---my children and my husband matter the most.  As for my children, their well-being is what matters--both their physical and emotional/spiritual well being. I do not want any of them to suffer any great loss, of health, loved ones, life.  That would be beyond what I could bear.. I also want them to be functioning adults--with meaningful work and relationships of their own.
 My relationship with Gerry matters. It is filled with love and joy and integrity, and I want that to always be the case.  Whoever dies first, I hope it will come quickly, and not be a long, slow, decline!  That is too hard!

2.  Health.  I do not consider this entirely within my own power to control.  I can do my part, but I know that luck, genetics, the environment, many factors determine health.  But it matters significantly because being able to enjoy most other things in life are dependent upon it!   I hope to have good health for a long time more, and not to be a burden to anyone.  I do not think I would be a particularly agreeable dependent.

3.   Friends.  Friends are important at this stage of my life, although that has certainly not always been the case.  For the first four decades, I was focused on family, children, work.  Then, I married Gerry and we were quite focused on each other, family and work, and there was no time left over to nurture female friendships.   Only since my retirement have I made "nurturing friendships" a priority in my life.   As a clergy person, a pastor,  the relationship is so unique with parishioners,  that being "their friend" is not the way it usually goes.  It matters to me enormously to be able to say that I have a couple of good friends.

4.  Ministry Gifts.  Although I very much was ready to retire from full time ministry, I did still want to be able to somehow use the gifts that I have for ministry.  I did not know exactly how that would evolve,  but I am so very happy to say that it has.  I did interim ministry for a few years.  Then after that, I used my creative abilities to write and produce special events and program, and song lyrics.   Then finally,  I now have a regular preaching commitment, twice a month, and this matters so much to me.  It matters because I feel like I am using my spiritual gifts, and also, I am the experiencing total freedom and the greatest joy imaginable in doing so!