As warm weather hit and the Bradford pear trees made downtown Chattanooga look like The Great White Way, I thankfully thought: "Maybe the cold, rainy winter is finally over."
Immediately, I remembered another such morning about 10 years ago. My husband and I were having breakfast in our home when I announced, "I don't want to die in the springtime. The world is much too beautiful to leave."
Facetiously, he asked, "Well, have you chosen your time of departure from Planet Earth?"
"I've thought of it often," I said, "and have decided that I don't want to leave this world in summer when everything is green and the days are long. Also, I certainly don't want to die in the fall. That's my favorite time of the year when leaves are full of color. Besides, I wouldn't want to miss my birthday celebration on Halloween."
Realizing that I was painting myself into a corner, Ralph said, "according to my calculation, that only leaves winter."
"Oh, I don't want to die in winter when the world looks like a fairyland with new-fallen snow. I love curling up in my easy chair and reading a good book in winter."
Sheepishly, I looked at my husband and said, "I guess I haven't left any time for dying, have I?"
His answer always comes to my mind at Easter time. Smiling, he replied, "Isn't it great that we follow a leader who said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. These who live and believe in me will never die" (John 11:24).
Suddenly, I realized that I don't want to die in the springtime or the summer or the fall or the winter, I more want to live as an American Christian and make even a little difference for good in the time I have left on Planet Earth. Happy Easter.
Contact Nell Mohney at nellwmohney@comcast.net.