Keeping my promise

The "Miller Bucket List" has been written and re-written 7 times in all, beginning with a modest "50 Things To Do Before I Turn 51" (inspired on the occasion of my 50th birthday, which, by the way is looking pretty dang good right about now) to the 6 other revisions of the original one from this blog that was begun in mid-May of 2011.  The entries on each one of them were written with the best of intentions to follow through, but circumstances in life change and what looked like the most worthwhile and doable idea at the time, well, you know it's "not so much" now.

 Some thoughts have needed to be put on the proverbial "back burner" for awhile. For instance, I can't wait to learn how to sew something for the first time in my life and lucky for me, I've already got a teacher.  The weird thing is (and remember my middle name is now "ironic") my sewing teacher was once a first grade student of mine...a cute little red-haired girl named Amy.   But even with as little as I know about sewing, it doesn't take much common sense to figure out you kinda need two good hands to work with, so that particular bucket list dream has to wait until spring.

Here's what the 7th revision looks like now and believe me, given my recent uncanny luck which is now a "bosom buddy" to "Murphy's Law", these things are subject to change at a moment's notice.....

1. to travel to Maine and see my very first lighthouse (in the planning stages for June 1-15, 2012)
2. to power parachute once again (because of "old lefty's" current status, it will be put off until springtime)
3. to continue to reconnect with all of my family members, spread out across the U.S.  (gotta lose that fear of flying!)
4. to bid on a quilt (and buy!) at the Mennonite Relief Sale this April
5. to return for the 3 remaining swimming lessons of the "Guppy" Level (soon as the cast is off in March)
6. to continue to learn about and practice the concept of "travelling light" (actually for a very good reason, more later on)
7. to continue meeting all of my FB friends in person, buying them something to drink and talk about life
8. to canoe down the Ark River one more time on a beautiful Indian summer day in October
9. to continue to promote the understanding of and the need for organ and tissue donation and as for myself, to a help a  complete stranger for the "good" by committing to become an organ and tissue donor upon my death
10.to FINALLY learn to sew something
11.and because I love life-to never let my bucket go empty!

And now on to the "keeping my promise" part......

In tomorrow's (Dec. 26th) issue of the Hutchinson News, a featured story will be one that was written about my accident in early August.  It will describe "old lefty's" journey down the road to recovery towards a "new kind of normal" and most important of all, the gift of a new bone from the body of a 45-year old man from Missouri who "died with his eyes shut but with a heart that was still wide-open."  I get goose bumps and still "choke up" every time I think of him.

Guys, I knew very little (although I thought I knew everything) about the subject of transplants.  I found out how ignorant I was as I listened in disbelief that "old lefty" had been repaired, thanks in a  very huge part, to the sacrifice made by an unknown person.

 When I had thought of transplants before it was always in terms of major organs like the heart, lungs, and kidneys.  Now I know about the many "other" possibilities for donation among which are the skin, tendons and bones.  And so I have to think, how many other people are just like me and don't realize the tremendous ways to help others at the time of our passing?  The possibilities are endless, mind-boggling, and most importantly, life and limb saving..

I have never asked anyone to forward things before, but this time I want to make an exception.  If you would be so inclined, may I ask you to forward this post on to someone you know who might be interested in learning more about the subject of organ and tissue donation?  As I've said so many times before, deciding to become a donor is such a very personal decision and it isn't always for everyone.  Even forwarding this post on to someone else is an equally personal decision.  I will always have respect for an answer of "no".  If you do forward this on, all you need to do is click on the bottom of the link for email.  I also will make a second post pertaining to this from the Hutch News website as soon as the story goes online tonight, for anyone who might care to read it and then forward it on.

Statistics retrieved this evening from the organdonor.gov website pretty much tell the story. As of the time you read this blog post there will be more than 112,788 people in the U.S. waiting to receive an organ transplant and sadly each day 18 people will die while they are waiting.  Even members of the "I Hate Math" club, like me, can figure out the overwhelming odds those people must be facing.  When you have no other choice but to wait...well, then that's what you have to do.

Friends, my thanks to you for reading this and perhaps forwarding it on to another.  As grateful as I am for receiving a segment of another person's bone, I cannot even fathom what it would be like to receive a new heart, lungs,or kidneys.  May I never have to go through that ordeal and equally important, may you my dearest of friends never have to either.  I love each one of you and would like to see you around for a long time to come.

John 15:13 from the Good Book~
"No greater love hath a man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend."