Shawn Phillips | Start Strong Monday

An excerpt from a letter that Andrew Jackson wrote to his dear friend Thomas Jefferson three days before he died.

Dear Thomas:

I am writing to inform you that Andrew Jackson is alive and well.

However, I regret to report that the house that Andrew lives in is in bad need of repair. In fact I am sure that Andrew will have to vacate soon. The roof is leaking, the walls are barely standing, and the floor is rotted, all of the structure and systems of the house are beginning to fail.

In spite of all this, even though I will be moving on soon, I assure you that Andrew Jackson is alive and well….

At some point you, I, we’ll all get the notice to evacuate the shelter. And I do so hope I can do it with such awareness and clarity as Andrew Jackson did.

But in the meantime, so long as we’ve got temporary lease of this shelter, it warrants a check on: “How’s the condition of your soul’s house?”

Is the structure solid and supportive or is it beginning to collapse on you?

Your time will come, don’t invite it. Do the most important work, first–take care of your home now, here. And when the time does come, it’s good to know that you that is “I” will still be alive and well.