Earn This

I was thinking about a scene in the movie Saving Private Ryan. At the end of the movie, the Tom Hanks character is on the bridge dying and he calls over Private Ryan, which is played by Matt Damon. Damon leans in and Hanks whispers into his ear, “EARN THIS.”

Its been a year since I lost my good friend and our community lost a great leader, Robin Hendrick. In watching Robin battle this dreaded disease, I think he was saying, "Cam I'm not fighting this hard for nothing." He fought the battle in a way that tells us all to “EARN THIS?” 

We should all aspire to lead lives that transform and impact the the people around us. How can we take life for granted? Knowing this, can tomorrow really be a day where we just go through the motions? 

In a book by Donald Miller, he writes, "How much does it cost to be rich in friends? How many years and stories does it take to make a rich life happen? I think about all the people that I have lost to that dreaded disease and I think of the terrible loss that so many have suffered, yet we are all richer today because of knowing them. It is as if they all left some emotional inheritance of a life that would continue to be told."