Deja` Vu All Over Again

The great New York Yankees’ baseball player and manager, Yogi Berra, is credited with saying: “It’s deja` vu all over again.”  De’ja` vu usually describes the feeling we get that we have experienced something before. 

My deja` vu experience occurred last week on June 14 in San Antonio, Texas as I watched my oldest granddaughter, Marcella Davis, graduate with highest honors from high school. Because her class was so large, the ceremony was held in a downtown sports arena.  As I watched Senior Class President Marcella receive her diploma and deliver her parting words to her fellow class members- telling them to embrace the future-it brought back a flood of memories. 

Flash back fifty-two years to a graduation ceremony on a warm June night in Webster, New York in a local sports arena– the school gymnasium. As salutatorian, my speech to our graduating class urged my classmates to move forward into the future with determination and hope. However, the one thing that is etched in my memory about that ceremony is how lousy I felt. I started out that day with chills, fever, and a miserable cold, along with an ugly fever blister on my upper lip. I pushed through to deliver my speech in spite of how bad I felt.  I would repeat that pattern many times in the years to come when I experienced one health crisis after another. 

After graduation I headed to Atlanta, Georgia to live with my sister’s family so that I could get secretarial training and a job. Marcella will attend the School of Business at Texas A&M University to earn her BS and MS so she can find her niche in the world of business.

The similarities don’t end there, when I got home already tired from an overbooked schedule and an early morning plane ride, I started feeling sick. You guessed it – I ended up with chills, fever, and a miserable infection along with an ugly fever blister on my upper lip.  However, some things do change— this time I gave in to being sick and stayed home for four days giving myself permission to recuperate. Maybe I’ve learned a few things after all.

Four Legs or Four Wheels

I am learning there is more than one way to travel through life. Why take the easy way when there is adventure around every corner? While we were in LA (Lower Alabama), our friends invited us to experience a bit of the local culture. The choices were to go horseback riding or ride through the woods on a four-wheeler ATV. My adventurous husband immediately chose to experience all the thrills and smells of a snorting horse. My more sedate lifestyle, as well as allergies to animal dander and hay, sent me running in the opposite direction to the vehicle with four wheels closer to the ground.  

While Charles was gently trotting around the horse track at a leisurely pace, I calmly mounted the passenger seat behind my friend, Erin. The next thing I knew we were flying over ruts and puddles, and dodging low hanging tree branches. I didn’t know I would be the one riding a bucking bronco on four wheels. Look closely and you can see Erin’s hair flying as we sped through the gate toward the finish line. I let go of her jacket long enough to show off for the camera.

 

Isn’t life like that? The things we fear usually give us the least trouble. Then, the things we don’t think about being a problem rise up and present us with a challenge. This roller coaster we call “Life” is full of many twists and turns which we call “life stressors.” I am the first to admit I am not the best person to handle stress. Research on aging tells us the ability to handle stress in a healthy manner contributes to longevity. When I am thrown a curve ball I have to constantly rely on God’s presence in my life so that I will not fret and worry about things that I can' t control.

 Good advice for all of us as we ride through life.

A Surprising Award

Today is an amazing day. One year ago this week, I wrote my first blog post with the title "Bloom Where You Are Planted"  At that time, I doubted I could bloom and write a blog that would attract and maintain interested viewers. Since inception, my blog has received almost 6,000 hits with readers in fifteen countries around the world.

A year ago, I was struggling to find direction for my memoir, "Born Three Times-A New Life, A New Liver, A New Love."  Once I made the commitment to go with a self-publisher, I devoted myself to get the book through the final stages and into print. I have been so blessed these past six months with the opportunity to share my story with so many people through book signings, speaking engagements, as well as radio and TV interviews.

Last night "Born Three Times" won the Director's Choice Award for biography at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference at Ridgecrest, North Carolina. This annual writers conference is one of the largest in the Southeast. I attended the Blue Ridge Conference in 2010 and was inspired and motivated by what I learned. Here is the plaque showing my achievement. 

 

 

Thank you to all of you who have read my blog and book and provide comments that encourage me to keep on writing. I couldn't have done it without you.  I also thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the gift of second chances, so that I can share my story as a witness to His Amazing Grace.

Hoggin' & Boggin' & Bloggin'

I’ve been told an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), water, and lots of dirt and mud are necessary for a fun filled hoggin' & boggin' adventure. Charles & I had no intention of goin' hoggin' & boggin' when we went to South Alabama to speak to the folks at Spring Hill Baptist Church.  We were there as guests of our friends, Donnie & Erin Moss and Erin’s parents, Pastor Jim and Karen O’Neal.

Because I’m allergic to the animals at Erin’s family home, we were invited by the Turners to stay in their guest cabin on several acres in the middle of the forest. Susan Turner took the lead and we followed her truck between the trees to the cabin. She left us to get settled with instructions about where to meet everyone for dinner. All the trees and paths looked the same as we tried to find our way back to the main road so we kept trying different routes.

The next thing we knew, we were up to our tires spinning in mud and muck. With only one bar on my cellphone (thank you, Verizon), I was able to call Susan. I prayed while Charles braved the swampy ground and walked back to the main road to flag down her truck. The water on my side of my car was too deep for walking, so I peeled off my shoes, socks, rolled up my pants’ legs, crawled over the center console and out the driver’s side, and mushed my way back to her truck. My bare feet and legs were covered with the brown ooze. City slicker me said, “We need to call a towing company.”

Since Susan and her husband own a logging company, she assured us they would be able to get us out. I stayed high and dry at the restaurant while Charles and some of the locals rounded up trucks and chains to pull my pretty, red SUV out of the mud. The first truck that came to the rescue also got stuck in the mud. As it tried to spin its way to freedom, the truck sent a brown shower of mud all over my car. Finally, a Jeep with a winch succeeded in pulling out the truck and my mud-coated SUV.

Three car washes later, most of the mud is gone from the exterior and interior of the car, but the memories linger. When I saw this sign on the road in Chatom, I realized our latest adventure would make a great blog post. Now, nobody can accuse these two late bloomers of being “sticks in the mud.”  

Lights, Camera, Action Part 2

Success!  With the help of Charles and Donnie (my IT guy) I finally uploaded the video of my appearance on Atlanta TV Channel 57.  If you are interested in seeing me talk about my book, go to the Interviews tab above and click the arrow on the video box.

The next few weeks will be busy for these Two Late Bloomers. Both of us will speak at a church in Chatom, Alabama. I will talk to the ladies about my book and Charles will speak to a men's breakfast about his interest in missions and ministry.Then I will meet my sister and we will celebrate our 15th transplant anniversaries. Charles will travel for another wind tunnel test to wind up the month. June will be equally challenging. The good thing is that I will have plenty to share with all of you in future blogs.  Until then .......

Lights, Camera, Action

My recent appearance on Atlanta TV Channel 57 to talk about my book, Born Three Times, was a unique experience.  The interstate traffic pileups on the way to the TV station did little to calm my anxiety level.  Fortunately, we left early so I had time to go over my previous interviews to prepare myself for the questions I would be asked.

The other guests on the two hour program arrived and were introduced.  One of the guests was an actor who played Officer Randy Goode on the TV series “In the Heat of the Night” with Carroll O’Connor. He was there to sing and talk about his latest project.

We all gathered around a conference table with our program hosts to go over the schedule for the Atlanta Live broadcast. I asked how long my interview was going to last. The host replied that my time on the air was going to be 15 minutes and it would not be an interview. Instead, I was expected to just tell my story and talk about my book for the whole time. My brain went into overdrive and my mouth felt like cotton. Where would I start and what would I talk about for that long? 

We were ushered into the TV studio—a very cavernous black box with lots of cameras, sound equipment, bright lights, and the set. I nervously waited while the musicians played, and another guest talked about her book and story. I watched the clock tick toward 8:00 PM. The producer came to escort me to the set and pinned the “Mike” on my jacket collar. I wasn’t prepared for the very bright lights that focused on me. I prayed I wouldn’t appear as nervous as I felt when I opened my mouth and let the words flow. It was surprising that the time flew so quickly and I was still going strong when the host said, we only had four minutes left. The host made some final comments and it was over. My legs felt like Jell-O as I headed back to where Charles was waiting, convinced I had made a very poor showing. 

The segment was replayed the next morning on the same TV Channel and I got to watch my performance. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It isn’t often that we get an opportunity to completely step out of our comfort zone and do something unique. Stay open to the possibilities God might put in your path to tell your story. Keep smiling-you never know who might be watching and listening.

So far I have been unsuccessful in uploading the video of my interview to my blog. When I figure it out, I will post it for your critique.

 

A Gift of Life

Today is April Fools’ Day, but my blog is not a joke. April 1 also begins National Organ Donor Awareness Month. How fitting when all of nature comes to life in the spring, that we think about giving the gift of life. A butterfly has been chosen as a symbol to represent that life-giving opportunity. The statistics are staggering and change minute by minute. There are approximately 113,000 people on the United Network for Organ Sharing waiting list. While 75 people each day receive a transplant, around 19 people die each day because of the organ shortage. 

Depending on the type of transplant, over 50-75% of recipients survive more than five years. My sister, Audrey, and I received our liver transplants almost fifteen years ago next month, and I have a friend getting close to a twenty-five year survival rate. 

Since the focus of my blog is on discarding the stereotypes of senior adults, here are some interesting statistics for seniors:

·        According to the 2005 National Survey of Organ and Tissue Donation Attitudes and Behaviors, conducted by The Gallup Organization, roughly 20 percent of people over the age of 65 mistakenly think they are too old to donate an organ, while nearly 12 percent believe they are too old to receive one.

·         Your age doesn’t make you ineligible to sign up; nor do you have to be in perfect health. Each person’s ability to donate is determined at the time of his or her death. People of all ages — in their 50s, 60s, even into their 80s and older — can sign up to be donors. And people over 50 can be eligible to receive transplants as well.

·         According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, as of January 2010, there are 47,734 people between the ages of 50 and 64 and 17,689 people over the age of 65 on the national waiting list.

·         More than 94 million individuals in the U.S. are 50 years of age and older. Imagine how many more lives could be saved if the majority of people in this age group signed up to be organ donors.

Donate Life America is the official site to register as an organ, eye, or tissue donor.  Here is a link to their website: www.donatelife.net

I will always be thankful for a family, who in the midst of their grief over the loss of their daughter, made the decision to make life possible for me and four other people. One of my favorite sayings about transplantation is: “Don’t take your organs to heaven; heaven knows we need them here.”