Bucket List

In the last year, I have made myself a bucket list. You know the list that you make when you want to accomplish or experience something before you've clean your last toilet or are just too tired to care. Being what I used to consider middle aged now, I probably should have thought about this a couple of decades ago. My list includes the cheap, the expensive and the down right impossible. It includes both 'all about me,' and 'family' and 'the family of God.'

Here it is.

1. Have my mortgage paid off before I turn 55. Most everything on my list, realistically cannot happen til that is attained.

2. Horse back riding. I want to learn how to ride and take care of a horse. I have been on a horse a handful of times. I don't know how to ride and not look foolish doing it. I have old family videos that I look absolutely ridiculous in. I don't know if physically, this body can handle riding, but the answer is in the first lesson. I haven't booked a lesson yet. My financial goals have me taking care of other things first.

3. Learn sign language. What a lonely life it must be to be deaf. The statistics are astounding of how many children grow up with no communication with their parents because the parents won't learn sign. Even more astounding is that the large population of the deaf will never learn about Jesus because very few can speak to them in their language. I borrowed books from my mom, with the intention of self teaching. It is pretty clear that I need to take a class.

4. Go back to school. Besides learning sign, I also want to brush up on my Spanish. The first highschool I attended, I had taken 2 years in it, and was a B+ student. When we moved, and I transferred my classes, I started to fail. Spanish 3 was way harder than I could handle, so I dropped it.

5. Buy houses for cash, use rental income to fund my life, and my bucket list.

6. Find out if I have a 1/2 brother, without anyone getting hurt, including me losing a kidney over it. My biological father was less than faithful to my mom. He was an alcoholic and with that comes all kinds of bad behaviors. More on that another time. (Update~~~ 5/31/14, I tracked down and met the man I have believed to be my brother for the last 35 years. We found we had a lot in common and the idea that he could be my brother didn't surprise him in the least. We went ahead with the DNA tests, and it turns out that there is a less than 1% chance that we are siblings. This is pretty disappointing to us both. I will continue to try and help him find the answers that he needs, and am grateful that I have had the opportunity to meet and know this man that I really believed  was my brother from another mother.~He is a pretty cool guy.)

7. Take my entire immediate family on a paid for tropical cruise. Hawaii, Carribean, it does not matter. What can you do when you don't have a mortgage payment? Anything you want.

8. Go on a European tour. Italy, Spain, Ireland, and England.

9. Write and publish a book. I started writing a novel many years ago, finishing it would be awesome.

10. Be in full time ministry. I want to start a ministry that brings people together to help each other, all the while pointing them to Jesus. Knowledge of salvation is free. The ministry is based on the fact that everyone has a gift or skill that someone else can use, and those that are gifted and skilled also have needs that others can fulfill. Those who accept help will be expected to sign a contract to help others when needs arise. No outright handouts. Not a social program. No entitlements.

That's it. That is what I have so far. Do you have a bucket list? Whats on it? Have you begun to take steps towards achieving what is on your list? Life passes by so fast, if we don't set goals, we will soon be on the other side of really old and have regrets. Just do it. Just saying...

Relay

     Lately, I feel I'm on the outside of the curve of things. Like I have to make a stand on something, and the stand I am making is unpopular. This is just one of those things. Do you remember a few months back, The Susan B. Komen foundation and Planned Parenthood was in the news? The Komen foundation had been giving grants to P.P. for women's breast health. They ended their partnership with P.P. because P.P. was under investigation by congress for book keeping issues. When S.B.K. asked P.P. to account for grants that they received, they were unable to provide them with that information. So they stopped giving them money. The liberal left jumped into action and started donating to P.P. and more than made up the difference. Then S.B.K. caved to the media and began accepting applications from P.P. once again.
    Turns out, there is not a mamagram machine in any P.P. clinic anywhere in the country. When asked about this, they said that they refer women to other health facilities. Really? They take money for something and then tell the clients to go to another health facility. Does that money go with them? I started thinking about the irony involved here. There has been proven to be a link between abortion and breast cancer. http://abortionbreastcancer.com . Miscarriage also increases the chances of breast cancer.
     For the past 3 years, I have been involved in my church's Relay For Life Team. The last 2 as a co-captain of the team. We as a team have grown larger every year, and were able to increase the amount of money were raised for The American Cancer Society. Sitting in a monthly meeting a couple of months ago, I noticed that a speaker had started spending more time talking about joining a legislative action group, in order to put pressure on our politicians concerning funding cancer research. It cost $10 to join that legislative group. Stem cell research is what was going through my mind as she spoke.
     After the meeting, I went home and googled 'Is the American Cancer Society Pro-life?" I found this website http://all.org./charities , with this information. The American Cancer Society is not considered a pro-life organization for the following reasons:
1. Support for human embryonic stem cell

2. Grant funding at facilities known prominently for human   embryonic

3. Grant funding for morally questionable research

4. Grant funding to Planned Parenthood

5. Referrals to Planned Parenthood as a health information/education resource

6. Donations to the Lance Armstrong LiveStrong Global Cancer Campaign (see entry for LiveStrong)

7. Failure to acknowledge the link between previously induced abortion and risk for breast cancer

8. Suggested fertility options including IVF, embryo freezing, egg/sperm donation and surrogacy.

     My personal objections are for 1-7. As far as #8, I have a close friend that would not have been able to give birth if it were not for IVF. And I would have been a surrogate for her if it had ever come down to it. Also, I don't understand why IVF wouldn't be considered prolife. To me, its all about making life.
      After reading several different resources on the web, I came to the conclusion that this would have to be my last year participating in Relay. I am very strongly Pro-Life, and I don't even want $.02 of every dollar I raise to go towards 1-7. After processing what I found out for a few days, I knew that I couldn't even finish out this years Relay. I did turn all the money in that I had raised up to that point, stopped asking for more donations, and stepped down and out of the team.
      I will continue to minister to the sick, make meals, clean house, and bring people to appts. See the need, fill the need. I will, from now on, check out organizations before I invest my time, and money into them, to make sure they represent my value system. ..... Just Saying....