Be ready to live. Like buds on a rosebush in late November in the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Be ready to die. Like the flower on the same rosebush in late November in the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Because to be ready to live and to be ready to die is to actually live in and savor the moment. It is to be in tune with one’s surroundings. To be present to the present, with no regrets and no fantasies of a perfect future holding us back. Our Advent hope calls us to action in the present.

Carpé diem. It’s the only one we have, for sure.