If I were to write a movie, this would be the premise: You only have a limited number of words to use before you die.
For each person, that number is different. At some point in your life, there will be a light that goes off on some device planted in your hand to tell you that you have just 100 words left to use before you die. So, for some people, that signal will come after a life has been lived, loves have been lost and relationships have been restored. But for others, the last 100 words will come at a high school graduation or after the loss of a first tooth. A signal might come at a time where the concept of death has yet to be imagined.
When a person discovers he has yet 100 words to impart as a legacy, what an incredible scene to watch played out. I imagine that a few people would escape to live a more monastic final existence, using their final breaths not to speak words but to meditate and reach inwards. A young bride might sit her new husband down and speak her 100 over coffee as she shares her dreams she has for him after she dies. There might be a hero who uses his last words while issuing a "not guilty" verdict to a wrongly accused criminal. Maybe an orphanage worker who's last 3 words are whispered "I love you" into the ear of a child.
Thinking through this little script of mine, I've been reminded how often I waste words to complain, grumble or knock others down. I imagine how different my life would look if I knew my words were limited. I smile at the conversations I would spend just listening and learning and not feeling like I needed to contribute anything. I wonder what I would say to my husband, my children, my God.
