Dear Friends and Family:
Took another short break after last week's sad news about the VTS chapel fire. So far, I haven't heard any reason for the fire, but it put me into a bit of a funk in light of the current destructive bent of the Church (Episcopal) as a whole.
But, back to the business at hand, and my ponderings concerning the results of my recent tests: (1) the multiple myeloma has been beaten 'way down (2) Implications are that I still have some myeloma, albeit not much and, (3) cancer, being cancer, has a way of being eventually corrosive to the well being of the host , so plans for the future need to be made.
Ah... to address the future. Doris Day, in the classic movie "The Man Who Knew Too Much", sang a song "Que Sera." The first line went thusly: "Que Sera, sera, whatever will be will be; the future's not ours to see. Que sera sera." The implication being that you needn't plan anything because what's already planned (by Fate) is going to occur, regardless. In fact, an old Jewish saying is: If you want to amuse God, make plans."
I am very excited about what's ahead, although I haven't any idea of what the future holds. I do think it prudent, however, to at least look at some of the things I likely won't do. That means addressing and pruning "the bucket list."
Here are just a couple of the things that I've always thought I wanted to do that I think circumstances (mostly money and age) dictate that I finally jettison:
Flying lessons: Costs a great deal of money to learn to fly and more to keep renting a plane often enough to remain proficient. My soaring will have to come at the I-Max theatre or in those rare but wonderful dreams wherein I congregate with eagles.
Around the World trip: In all probability I won't get to see the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids and sites of Egypt; Victoria Falls; St Petersburg, Russia; or, The Amazon. I'll have to depend on Rick Steves and his travelogs.
Learning another foreign language: German and French are out. I speak a moderate amount of Spanish which can be improved; I however, had a dickens of a time with Hebrew and Greek, and I haven't gotten any smarter in the meantime. Let them speak English, and a bit louder please.
There are still plenty others left in the bucket about which I can be more definite:
Yellowstone in Winter. (providing it hasn't blown us all away in the meantime!) That's where Amy and I met nearly 47 years ago, and where we hope to go for our 50th anniversary in the not too distant future.
I'll address the future more in subsequent editions but close this by a biblical reference: Ephesians 2:10: For we are God workmenship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
I think I'll not only prune some of my desires, I'll look more earnestly in that bucket for the things God has already prepared for me to do that I've been ignorant of or have been avoiding (like Jonah's refusal to go to Nineveh).
As an act of some determination, I have this week gone thru some of the "stuff" I collected in my top bureau drawer. Some of the items don't seem so precious now, but there are others that I still need to hold on to. Pray for me!
Thanks for your prayers and patience!
Faithfully,
Dick
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