Remembering Doug T

/When I zoomed this picture I saw a couple who had swum out to that little rock island and were climbing around and I wished for a moment to be young again and bold enough to try something like that.

I keep in touch with my denomination from time to time, and read an article by one of my seminary roommates, Doug, who was diagnosed with ALS last year. Of all the diseases we face this slow loss of function is one of the cruelest.

I had just watched a video this week by a former preacher named Ed Dobson who is chronicling his own life with ALS, especially the emotional toll on a man who loved public speaking and has lost a life where the phone rang constantly.

Doug and I came from different backgrounds, he was a Bible college nerdy type of guy who studied all the time. One day the discussion of finding a mate came up and I shared my philosophy of dating to see who fits and to learn about potential mates. Doug assured me that he was praying in his future wife and that dating was a waste of time. In fact, he said, God has already told him who he would marry. He wrote her name and sealed it in an envelope and told me to see if it came true in future years. I never did.

He has, life me, spent his life as a pastor teacher, did in fact have a wife and kids, and now, he shared his intention to trust God through the tunnel he is entering with this wasting disease. I found his email and sent my prayers and blessings, and today, my day away from the office, I am going out to enjoy our spring like weather and treat today like the gift it truly is. Thanks Paul, for the TEDS video that reminded me again to be grateful for each day.