HAPPY NEW YEAR, the Sequel

Elizabeth Tenety in the Washington Post Feature ON FAITH shared this:

The late Jesuit priest Anthony De Mello developed the following examination of conscience which I have read many times but never completed. I’ve been afraid of it. But today, with a prayer to the Holy Spirit and a hope that I may gain clarity for 2008, I will take it on. For those of you also without resolution, or in need of a little direction, here is that exercise:

I imagine that today I am to die. I ask for time to be alone and write down for my friends a sort of testament for which the points that follow could serve as chapter titles.
1. These things I have loved in life: things I have tasted, looked at, smelled, heard, touched.
2. These experiences I have cherished:
3. These ideas have brought me liberation:
4. These beliefs I have outgrown:
5. These convictions I have lived by:
6. These are the things I have lived for:
7. These insights I have gained in the school of life: insights into God, the world, human nature, Jesus Christ, love, religion, prayer.
8. These risks I took, these dangers I have courted:
9. These sufferings have seasoned me:
10. These lessons life has taught me:
11. These influences have shaped my life: persons, occupations, books, events.
12. These Scripture texts have lit my path:
13. These things I regret about my life:
14. These are my life’s achievements:
15. These persons are enshrined within my heart:
16. These are my unfulfilled desires:

While I embrace the philosophical dictum that the examined life is worth living, I found that the older I get the less I want to be intentional about examining my life -- perhaps there have been too many "what if's and if only's" -- and perhaps the greater need for that to happen. So, in a follow-up to the post from yesterday, take this as a challenge to reflect on these questions and to share your answers with one whom you love.