Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, I am given a lot of advice from well meaning people regarding my health and how I am living out my journey. Some of the advice comes from friends. Some from people who have heard about my story, but really don’t know my story. I am thankful for some of the advice and some I could live without. This journey is my story and I cannot live and be something or someone I am not. I am sick and my health is declining day by day. That’s just a fact. But I wasn’t created to live a dying life. So I will continue to live a life of purpose. I will live the life God created me to live. ~OC
Reflection
In light of recent comments, I am reminded of this powerful poem. I encourage everyone to spend some time reflecting on these words. ~OC
What Are You Feeding?
Today’s a new day! Want to know something interesting? Fear and Faith require the same thing in order to exist, uncertainty. Without the uncertainties of life we cannot have either. Our Fears and Faith only grow in “the soil of the unknown”. While we cannot get rid of all life’s unknowns, we can decide whether we “feed our faith” or “feed our fears.” Our choice. ~OC
Every Moment of Every Day
Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, every day has its challenges. But even on the toughest days, I have beautiful moments of peace and joy. I allow myself to laugh. I allow myself to spend time in reflection. I allow myself to dream. I allow myself to experience the amazing moments around me. I allow myself to think and live beyond the multiple diseases that are slowly killing me. I allow myself to experience and embrace every moment of every day. ~OC
Take Heart
Today’s a new day! We may struggle with not totally understanding the journey God currently has us walking. We may have questions about what He is doing. But we can take heart and lean into His words: “So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts” ~Isaiah 55:9
Labels
Today’s a new day! No matter what label the world try to use….
Unwanted
Addict
Depressed
Unloved
Disabled
Not Worthy
LBGTQ+
Ex-Con
Immigrant
Divorced
Not Smart Enough
Wrong Side of the Tracks
Black Sheep
Lost Cause
Just a Dreamer
Not Qualified
Too Young
Too Old
Remember, God continues to seek, pursue, and replace every label with His Love, Kindness and Grace. ~OC
The Long Goodbye
Today’s a new day! As most of you know, I am in the twenty-second year of this crazy beautiful health journey. On more than one occasion, Laura and I have been told I only had hours, weeks or months to live. So my health journey has sort of become a long goodbye. I was diagnosed with dementia a month ago, so I have spent a little more time reflecting on my life and this journey. Sometimes, I feel like a rockstar or band that is on a continuous farewell tour. Here are some words that came to my mind.
The Long Goodbye
This long goodbye brings with it many different emotions
This long goodbye is filled with moments of crying out to God; some days are filled with questions, but most days are filled with praise and thanksgiving
Praise and thanksgiving? How could that be?
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to live. I mean really live. From skydiving to meeting a former President, my life has been filled with amazing moments
This long goodbye, has given me the opportunity to love my bride longer than the experts predicted
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to spend more time with friends, make new friends and reconnect with some old friends
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to make more mistakes and learn some valuable lessons from those mistakes
This long goodbye has given me the beautiful opportunity to realize life is not all about me
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to serve others
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to receive and share the beautiful gift of forgiveness
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to grow as a person
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to become a runner, write two books, have a movie made about my life and write a song that is on an actual album
This long goodbye has given me with the beautiful opportunity to meet some amazing people
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to share and receive hope, love and encouragement
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to laugh, cry and reflect
This long goodbye has given me the opportunity to share the story God gave me so many years ago
I am thankful for this long goodbye and the beautiful gifts it has given me. ~OC
Live Out Your Legacy
Today’s a new day! As I continue to run this crazy beautiful health journey, here are some lessons I have learned along the way. I pray you will spend some time looking them ever.
Do you truly know yourself? Spend some time in self reflection. As a person of faith, I spend a lot of time in prayer asking God to reveal the good, the bad and how I can be the person that created me. I encourage each of you to find out what works for you.
Our words and actions make a difference. I personally want my life to be full of encouraging words and life changing actions. It’s simple to share a kind word or smile. Forgiveness is a beautiful gift for all parties. It brings freedom and healing.
What is the legacy you want to live out? As I continue to fight for my life, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life. I really do not care about career or finances, even though those are important things. But as I move into the 4th quarter of my journey, I think about the time spent with my bride, family and friends. The memories made. I think about the many conversations with fellow patients as they walk through their own health journey. The encouragement, the laughs and tears. That is the legacy I want to live out. I encourage everyone to spend some time to reflecting on what legacy you want to live out.
Remember to laugh? Stop taking life so seriously. Do not allow yourself to get so caught up in work, school, ministry or life that you forget to laugh. When’s the last time you really laughed?
Sometimes there are no laters in life. People spend a lot of time saying “I will do it later.” What happens when they’re no more “Laters.” I encourage everyone to make sure your time on earth counts. Take in the amazing life around you. Not just the screen in front of your face. Stop focusing on quantity and spend more time on quality. Live well now. Let me asked you a few questions: 1). Do you have any “laters”that if you could do life over would become now’s? 2). Do you have some “laters” that have turned into “never’s”?
Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you’ve living?” ~Bob Marley
Here is my last question: How are you living? ~OC
Worthy
Today’s a new day!
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.. ~Romans 8:38-39
A lot of things can try and separate us from God. Not feeling good enough, the business of life, the upcoming election and a host of other distractions. But we have to remember that these thoughts and distractions are only temporary and we do not have to give into them. If we let them consume us, we will easily become overwhelmed. But we can choose to open our heart’s to God’s truth. That is, we are enough, just by being us. We are not our past, nor do we have to return to our past in order to be loved, accepted, etc. we are enough – right here, right now – because our identity is in God, not in our weaknesses, and certainly not in the things of this world.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ~John 8:32
I read a story where a group of students were asked how much they thought they were worth. “A million dollars,” some of them said. “Infinity plus infinity,” called out another. But the truth is, we are worth more than we can possibly comprehend. We are way more than a number. God loves us so much that He sent His only son to die for us so that we will not die but have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.
So, I am going to pose a challenge for everyone – myself included: When those thoughts of not being good enough rise within you and you feel like you’re drowning in their lies, seek God. Remember His truth – YOU ARE ENOUGH. You were created in His image (Genesis 1:27), and He loves you. You do not have to change what you look like to be loved, and you may as well stop trying to earn grace because it has already been given to you. Find strength in God, and know He is with you wherever you go.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. ~Psalm 27:3
We can find confidence in God today. We can treat ourselves with love and self respect because we’re God’s beautiful masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). We can trust that we are enough. We can find peace, hope, love and confidence in God. I pray we will all lean into that truth today. ~OC
A Night With Dementia and Parkinson’s
Good morning! I pray everyone is sleeping and will see this after a great night sleep.
I can tell tonight’s going to be one of the nights. I wrote the following to share what those sleepless, hallucination filled nights are like. I wrote the following to give you a glimpse into my life with Dementia and Parkinson’s on most nights. ~OC
A Night With Dementia and Parkinson’s:
When it gets deep in the night
Where time seems to stand still
I can hear my heart beat and my thoughts screaming and that’s not always a good thing
It’s going to be one of those nights
Where sleep is a distant dream
Sometimes the voices get loud
And the hallucinations seem so real, I have to remind myself they’re not legit, just a short circuit in my brain
But through it all, I stand tall
Not allowing all those voices and thoughts to become real
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
I will focus on the prize
Not all the junk, this disease
tries to steal from my mind
I keep fighting, gettin off the canvas
I keep running towards the One who
clears the cobwebs and reminds me
I am His precious child
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
I will continue to fight through the
night, all the negative thoughts
that keep me from counting sheep
and getting a good night sleep
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
The giants who try to bring me
down at night, are no match for
the One who used a boy named David to bring down one of the biggest
giants of all
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
It’s time to be Brave
It’s time to keep Overcoming
It’s time to be Fearless
I am ready to Battle
Refusing to back down
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
I am focused on the mission
Not going to backdown
Not going to run away
Going to walk with the King
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
As the night slowly creeps on
I will press into the promises
of my King, thankful they get me
through another night, time to be
fearless and pray through it all
I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
As the night moves on and
My thoughts begin to wonder
the adrenaline starts flowing
and God’s angels get moving
the morning light will soon come shining
So, I will keep standing tall
Lifting up my prayers
to the One who created it all
I will keep fighting, refusing to fall
choosing to embrace faith over it all
The Blessed Overcomer 