Cancer Opens Doors

To most of us Cancer is considered a bad thing. It’s a disease that kills people, ruins lives and scares the Hell out of us.

But bad things can also become good things.

I’m seeing a lot of good things come out of my Prostate Cancer.

I’m involved nationally, in the conversation over Prostate Cancer. Through Cancer and the internet I’ve met people like Gabe Canales, a 36 year old man with Prostate Cancer who is about to launch a campaign called “Blue Cure” to raise awareness and money for Prostate Cancer Research.

Gabe and I are Face Book friends and we learn a lot from each other. Through our friendship, Gabe got connected to another friend Stephanie Tarbox-Kerns who works with the Oregon Urology Institute in Springfield, Oregon. Gabe is from Texas and this morning we met, face to face for the first time, thanks to Stephanie.

The OUI clinic brought Gabe out to Oregon to do some media and talk about Prostate Cancer at a symposium sponsored by OUI.

It is funny how the world works and how relationships build coalitions and more conversation.

Cancer is still a scary disease but I’m also starting to see that Cancer is also a connector.

Bad, Good, Good, Bad, I don’t know anymore.

Its just life.

Walk Away From The Cage

My life has few strings attached and sometimes I find myself looking for a rope to reattach me to what I used to be.

It’s crazy; we want freedom and when it’s given to us by our creator the old man inside us fights to be put back in the cage.

In talking with a friend the other day I realize how much human beings really fight against freedom. We are like an animal in a cage and when the door is opened or a key handed to us, some of us refuse to go out the door.

Others, like me, keep looking back at the cage wondering if we should go back in.

In reviewing the story of Lot and his wife in the Bible, God told them not to look back at the city they were leaving. He didn’t tell them why they shouldn’t take a peak He only said not to or you’ll die.

I wonder that God didn’t know the ease with which each one of us can slip back into our old lives, our old selves, our old traps and His warning is to keep our heads up and our focus on Him, not the next thing or the past.

Kitty G. (A Guest Blog)

A friend and I were talking at lunch the other day. I was telling him my story about Marge Urgo, from Florence. Some of you may have read it.

http://rickdancer.com/purpose-driven…-or-perhaps-it’s-just-a-putt/

Anyway, as we were talking Anthony told me “Rick, you have just inspired me to do something God’s been telling me to do.”
Here’s Anthony’s story.
It’s called Kitty G.

So with a nudge from God I had this crazy idea of reaching out to a few residents at Olive Plaza – the 12 story, low-income senior housing across the street from the bus station. I really didn’t know how or what I was looking for but with the help of one of the workers there the idea was put forth and 2 residents were interested in receiving some help – in particular transportation needs and a letter writer for one dealing w/Macular Degeneration. So, let me introduce you to Kitty G. She doesn’t see very well but she has a heart of gold and loves to visit. This crazy idea I had was really something for my congregants to engage in so I thought. But to cut to the chase this one had my name written all over it. Once a week or twice a month I am going to write letters and postcards for Kitty. Not my words, hers! She is willing to trust me enough to allow her to share her deepest thoughts with her friends, most of who live in Florida, where she lived most of her life and sang with the Sweet Adeline’s chorus group. And so today we did just that – 3 postcards and a letter. As we were wrapping things up Kitty asked me if she was keeping me from my “pastoral duties.” I responded that if she was o.k. With it this was my “pastoral duty.” She remarked something about how easy it is to give money and material things but to give of one’s time was a precious commodity. I think I’m getting the better end of the deal! And so here we go. My fingers and right hand cramped up a bit as I do more typing that handwriting. But I think I like this crazy idea of helping one of our seniors in town – a perfect stranger – a stranger no more. She’s become one of my friends! Come to think of it, I like these crazy ideas that pop up once in a while.
Anthony

Watch out for the Spin-Cycle.

When times get difficult the spin-doctors put the public in the super-wash cycle using words to manipulate a message and bring us to their knees.
In the past we have gladly followed. In our effort to avoid confrontation and keep the peace we roll our eyes and roll over and play dead. Our government is going broke our schools are falling apart and we scramble to avoid reality and again rely on half-ass plans rather than wiping our eyes and looking at the real problem staring back at us from the mirror.
I hear people crying for more of this and less of that. We look for someone to blame, unions or corporations or politicians when in fact the real villain is apathy.
We have allowed this to happen. For years we’ve hidden our heads in the sand as organizations and lawmakers have created alliances that cost us dearly and now it’s all coming to a head.
I’m so sick of the blame game. I’m tired of school kids and the disenfranchised people of this country being used to manipulate the facts and the minds of people. What I’m even more angry about is the fact that We, the general public is so concerned with “protecting what we think we have” that we fail to really look at what’s going on and then when the sky is falling point fingers and it’s already too late.
When will we learn? While protests go on all over this country and folks scramble to save what may not be salvageable, the spin-doctors work behind closed doors polling people, finding ways to play our heartstrings and write a song that will lull us once again into a deep sleep. In our slumber, and our fear of real pain, involvement and change, we allow them to convince us to once again take the easy way out and swipe our debit card in the manipulators machine.
I sense people are truly fed up and change is closing in on us. We may be forced to make some very difficult choices and the messenger’s blame-game will become harder to resist.
Can we ignore the conductors magic wand and this time look for real solutions or will we turn up the volume and simply go along with the hype?
And the song plays on.

Taking it to the Streets: Oregon Community Credit Union

Oregon Community Credit Union, Nice, Remarkably Nice.

Oregon Community Credit Union employee’s decided not to take the day off on President’s Day but instead went out in the community to work. Hundreds of them piled into buses and went all over the county to help others. We at Oregon Supported Living Program were on their list and boy are we glad. It was truly a great day. They painted the inside of one of our homes for people with disabilities and did a whole bunch of yard work for us. Thank you Oregon Community Credit Union. You truly are nice, remarkably, nice.

A longer video is coming later.