Eccleciastes 9:7-10
"Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
I like Ecclesiastes, but I think it makes more sense when I read the whole book, not just portions. This is my new English Standard Version and sometimes the words surprise me like - 'Sheol, to which you are going' - what? So, I pulled out my NIV and it translates this with a reference to the grave, not Sheol. My dad described Sheol as nothingness, and at times he wondered if that was what was awaiting us after this life, but in the end he was certain he would meet the Lord.
I like the way it says 'let not oil be lacking on your head' rather than 'always anoint your head with oil' (NIV). Brings up a bunch of thoughts about shampoo, showering, etc. But I probably shouldn't go there...
The parts I love in this section are the parts about eating with joy - because I really enjoy food, and enjoying life with your spouse - whom your love, of course. (Vain life? yeah, I suppose so). So - we are all going to die, but we really should enjoy the lives that God has given us, don't you think?
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