Teaching Moments/Twenty-four gold coins give man a chance to appreciate his fleeting life

A man I know was given six months to live. Yet, his outlook on life was inspiring. I asked how he could stay so positive knowing he only had a short time to live. He shared these thoughts with me.

"Each day when I wake up I receive 24 gold coins, one for each hour of the day. I have to spend some of those coins for eating, sleeping, time with my family, and taking care of the day's responsibilities. I choose to spend some of my daily hours (coins) having fun and helping others. At the end of each day there are usually a couple of special gold coins left over. I spent these with particular care. "

What an invaluable life lesson for us and our children. We live in a hectic "there is never enough time to get everything done" world. Our future success, and that of our children, will be determined in how wisely we invest our daily gold coins.

Question for discussion:

How did you spend your gold coins yesterday? Today?

Discuss with your family how you might spend your coins more wisely. Be willing to hear some constructive criticism.

Suggestions for implementation:

Some ideas for spending your special gold coins might include:

Helping someone without being asked,

Starting a new book or project that you have "been meaning to get to,"

Doing an extra 30 minutes/day on homework.

Quote for discussion:

"The time is always right to do what is right" -- Martin Luther King

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