What's Real

Are you still reading? Did you think I dropped off the face of the earth?

Tonight I'm in Indianapolis. Work has been rough lately. I've been travelling every week for the past 4 weeks, and clients have been coming into town for meetings, too. At the end of the year, they all seem to find budget dollars that must be spent before year-end. It's good, but it's crazy busy.

Monday and Tuesday of this week, I was interviewing people who have a particular life-threatening disease, which I'm not mentioning on the blog because the project is still confidential. It was so moving hearing their stories. It reminded me why I chose health education as my major in college. It just felt so real, listening to their real-life struggles, and it puts most everything else into perspective.

These people -- men, women, black and white, young and old -- told how they now appreciate the small things, like rain, the breeze, and especially family and friends. Many of them spoke of God and said they felt they had a reason to be here. They sounded so certain. I've never felt that certain about my purpose. It makes sense to me that one man described his disease as "a blessing and a curse."