Justin and I just arrived back this past weekend after spending the week in Cincinnati with the youth group. We were able to work in a povery stricken neighborhood and it was a great trip. I worked on this house. We chipped the paint off and primed it on two sides. And yes, the house is crooked and lies on a slant. Justin tore down ceilings of a house (and got really dirty) while others worked with the kids program, gutted a house, or tore down chimneys.



On Tuesday we did the Street Feed where we set up a table near a park and served food to all the homeless people around there. It was an amazing experience. I was able to watch our kids serve a meal to people who admitted to not having eaten in over 3 days. I also was able to talk with some people and hear about how they got to be in the place they were in.
On Thursday we went to the zoo with all the kids in the summer program. It was awesome. I went with three kids but one really tired me out. His name was Eli and his story was very sad. He LOVED the zoo and also loved to run around. It made me realize that I am not ready to be a mom, but also that sometimes the kids who need the most love are the hardest to love.


It is beautiful to see what the church in Cincinnati is doing to love on people in the neighborhood, especially kids. It amazes me how one small church could make such a HUGE difference to so many people. Poverty affects so many people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. BUT, I am convinced that if we all stood up and wanted to make a difference, the world would be a completely different place.

This past week for my Death, Loss, & Grief class we were asked to fill out an "Advanced Directive & Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care" form as an assignment. For those of you who have never heard of this it is a form allowing someone to name an advocate for them if they are ever in a healh care situation where they, as the patient are unable to make decisions for themselves. I began filling out Justin as my first advocate and my parents as my second and continued on. As I went further and had to make choices about what I would like my advocates to do if I was ever in a vegetative state in terms of pulling the plug, donating organs to others or for medical use, when my quality of life was no longer what I wanted to live in, etc.

This was an extremely difficult thing for me to fill out. I began thinking about what it would mean for me to do this for Justin, which also made me think about what it would mean for me to lose him at such an early age and in our first year of marriage. What would I do? How would I react? How would I get out of bed in the morning? Would I still see the sun shinning like I do now?

Then I began thinking about possibly having Justin or my parents make these decisions for me. How would they really know what I wanted? It made me think that what I may choose now would be different as my other dreams of career and family become more of a reality. This adds so many other factors. Maybe I would want to live in a vegetative or quad. state just to see my child have another birthday or to see my husband smile one last time. How can I possibly make that decision right now?

The idea of losing my family and dreams were hard for me to contemplate and sort through and made me realize how difficult death can be. I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of loss. The loss that I can't even fathom that makes me sick to my stomach just to think about. Class was difficult to sit through yesterday and I am beginning to realize that it is easier for me to deny the fact that people I love will die anytime soon, and the fact that I will be in a situation where Justin may have to pull the plug on me rather than deal with all the mixed emotions that arise with it. Maybe at the end of the semester I will be able to come back and think more about this.

Yesterday in my Death, Loss, & Grief class we heard from a speaker who had recieved a liver transplant from a 21 year old girl shot in a gang mishap. His story was filled with passion, love, and gratitude for each second of life. I was completely compelled to be a part of such a beautiful opportunity and I ask that you also consider this.

There are 96,000 people in the US on a waiting list for organ donation. 4,000 of them are in Michigan. Knowing the number of people who die each day, this problem should not exist. We have the opportunity to save lives through our own. I realize that you have no idea when or how your earthly life may end, but either way, it shouldn't matter. If your organs are healthy enough to save someone else, isn't it worth the gift?

Here are some common myths about organ donation.....
1. It will cost the donor something. Wrong....the organ reciever (and their insurance) cover the cost of the transplant
2. It will delay the funeral and visitation. Wrong....organ transplants can happen within one day and not delay the funeral process
3. Someone who donates organs can't have an open casket visitation. Wrong....the doctors do whatever possible to keep the body looking as good as possible allowing for an open casket showing
4. I am too old (or too young). Wrong...if your organs are in good shape, age doesn't matter.

I ask that you consider adding your name to list of donors and ask your family and friends to consider it also. Continue the cycle of life by helping someone in need.

Visit.... www.giftoflifemichigan.org to sign up today.