What if Your Funeral Was This Thursday?

               Yesterday in Buffalo School #6 we asked the students in the After School Program this question:

"What if you died this week and they held your funeral on Thursday, what would people say about you? Better yet, what would you want them to say about you?"

          We told the young people about the "Butterfly Effect" that says that everything you do matters. One flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world by moving one molecule of air at a time. We read a story about one man whose actions in one day changed the course of history in America forever. For every action there is a reaction. Are you taking actions that will be remembered as positive life giving actions?

 Good's & Bad's

          At funerals, it's customary to talk about the deceased in a congenial manner - only remembering their good parts. If someone were to be honest, they would have to talk about our bad's as well as our good's. Each of us has both good's and bad's. If your funeral was this Thursday or anytime soon, would their be more good's than bad's for folks to talk about? I asked the students to "do something that matters." On a sheet of paper, on your own time, write down what you would like people to say about you at your funeral. What you write is only for you and I will not ask to see it. This is for you personally to take a good hard look at yourself. This is what your paper should look like:

Family

 

Friends

Neighbors

Classmates

Teachers (or Janitors & Secretaries)

After each heading, write what you hope they would say about you at your funeral. There was one student who asked a great question: 

"What if we are not doing the things that we would want them to talk about?"

That's the point of this exercise; It's an opportunity for you to do a personal and brutally honest self evaluation. Find out what you need to change about your life and change it. We wrapped the class up with a short discussion on forming new habits.

 Don't wait until they are planning your funeral, make some changes today.

Thanks for your time.
 Go do something nice for somebody.

Mentor Force is an extension of youth With A Purpose Inc. We mentor young people and we teach mentors. Please contact us if we can help you create more "good's" in the world.

 716-830-8240 

ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com  

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