Democrat-Gazette online

My friend Don Bacon teaches a Sunday School class at his church in Little Rock. At my request, he includes me on the class email list so that I receive the lessons he sends out, along with an invitation to attend the class via Zoom. This week his lesson was about death. I was challenged by what Don wrote, particularly by this part:

"'What does it mean when the rest of your life may be measured in weeks?'" So began journalist Alison Piepmeier's farewell column in the Charleston City Paper three weeks before she died of the brain cancer that had troubled her for seven years.

"As her health declined, she had opted not to receive further aggressive treatment, choosing to receive palliative hospice care for the remainder of her life ... In her final submission, titled 'Thank you for my beautiful life,' Piepmeier wrote, 'I hope this won't be my last column. Perhaps, though, knowing that it might be is a gift I should accept.'"

Then Don asked, "What are the 'things that matter' that you would write about in a final column if you knew your death was imminent, and to whom would you direct your message?"

If I knew my death was imminent and this would be my last column, I would direct it to the people who read my column every week and thank you. For being the audience that enables me to do this thing I really love. For your responses and interactions........

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