Knowing or Not Knowing?

A friend of mine passed away from lung cancer four months before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember my sister posing a question to me a year before I was diagnosed that struck me as rather odd. The question she asked was if I had a choice, would I want to know if I was going to die or not know if I was given a choice.
Now, remember, neither of us knew at that time that I had breast cancer. We were focused instead on her mother-in-law who was told she had less than a year to live.
As I think about that question, I can honestly say I don't remember what answer I gave. I do know that as I have watched loved ones pass from this life, I have had very mixed feelings on the subject. On one hand, knowing that you have limited time on this earth allows you to make up for wrongs that you have made. It allows you to say goodbye and make peace with yourself. On the other hand, when you know that your time is limited,  you loose hope and become depressed. I saw this happen often and so I can say with all honesty, I think it is best sometimes not knowing when your time is up. As long as you have hope, you can keep moving forward with a positive attitude.