What if we knew the time?

...Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father...

--John 13:1

What if we knew what time it was? What if we knew that we had only one more day, week, or month left on earth before we returned to the Father? What if we knew this would be the last impression we would make on this earth?

Sean knew the time. The doctors told him it would be risky, that surgery would be costly, time-consuming, and quite possibly even ineffective. The cancer had spread far beyond any hope of treatment and, if ridden, would soon appear elsewhere in Sean's ragged body. While we never know the exact date, Sean knew the time was near.

You can read ABOUT my associate and friend Sean Barnes in recent Huntsville Times articles, or you can read posts made BY him on the web (www.CarePages.com). I encourage you to google him, look him up and see what he had to say. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

For those who may not want to look it up, let me tell you what Sean did. After hearing the bad news, after talking to his wife, mother, and friends, and after accepting the reality that his time on earth was almost done, Sean did what any sensible man would do...Sean went to Disney World!

Sean was a good man, a loving husband, a joker, and a friend. Sean will be remembered not by the cancer that ravaged his body, but by the laughter that came from his heart. Sean will be known not by his early passing, but by his not letting life pass him by. Sean will be known not for a depressing 4-year battle with cancer, but for a wonderful 30-plus years of excitement.

Sean knew the time and did what was best - he counted his blessings and made the most of them.

Goodbye, Sean. See you on the other side...

--PA