When I was a child I was, like most children, afraid of things that go bump in the night. But I told myself (for no good reason) that monsters which lie under beds cannot break through blankets and sheets! By the time I was a teenager I wasn't afraid of what might live under my bed, but I was afraid of what my friends might have to say about the way I combed my hair.

What do I fear now? I am afraid, to put it simply, of living a life that doesn't matter. I am afraid of leaving the world exactly as I found it, no different for my having been here.

What are things which last forever? Justice, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and grace are a few. If I want my life to count, to be significant, then I will try to fill it as much as possible with these attitudes and actions.