Chad is 38!

Some of you remember my baby brother, Chad, from our time in Worthington. We are the Alpha and Omega children of Arlin and Colleen. I tease him how he will always be the baby of the family and he comes right back at me with, "At least I'm not older than dirt!"

Here was his first birthday cake:

So I sign all my emails to him "Dirt." We have a great relationship. He was just in town for several days around his twenty-year Class Reunion. That's right, he has been out of Mayo High School in Rochester for twenty years already! I have a hard time believing it. We got to spend a lot of time together and had a great time. I miss him and have a hard time believing he has been living in Southern California for thirteen years already.

For my longtime readers, you may remember the post I did on him in January 2010. If you are a new reader to this blog, you may see the post by clicking here or click his name at the end of this post.

His website has been updated and his first invention, The Drum Wallet is starting to sell. You can see it with new videos, photos and many new testimonials. Just click here. If you are a drummer, or know a drummer, you need The Drum Wallet. They make great gifts!

He is a budding entrepreneur with other ideas, and starts bursting at the seams when he starts talking about his ideas. The Drum Wallet is in the final stage of getting patented, and he has a couple other products in various stages of development.

Here is a shot of him in action these days:

I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Gospel For Teens

Once again, my favorite TV Show, 60 Minutes, came through with another piece I feel compelled to share because of the lessons I learned from their expert journalism. Vy Higgenson is running a program in Harlem that is changing young lives through teaching them to not only sing Gospel, but the history of the music and how it can change their lives. I have always contended education is about opportunity, and good material taught by good teachers. Gospel for Teens fits that bill.

It is such a good piece with so much to learn, they took two segments of the show to tell the story. Granted, this is the Summer rerun season and this story originally ran this Spring, but it was new to me. If you have already seen it, just delete this post. But, if you missed it this Spring, check out these two video segments from tonight's show:



Segment Two:



I often say how my post material comes to me. I do not have to go looking for it. It has happened again tonight.

I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

P.S. To my Facebook friends who want to see the videos, just go to my blog by clicking here. While you are there, please subscribe to it, follow the directions, you will receive an email every time I post, and you can check out some of my old posts. You will find some of them educational, entertaining and occasionally even humorous. Thank you.

"Beautiful, your butt looks beautiful!"

Those were the words my nurse exclaimed as she took the bandages off two of the bedsores on my backside. I wish I had a dime for every time a nurse has told me how good my derriere has looked over these last almost forty years!

There have been far too many times when nurses and doctors have not been so positive in her/his assessment of the condition of my posterior. When she turned me over to change the dressing on my left trochanter, (the top part of the femur) her excitement was not so great. It is still getting better, just not as fast as the other two sores. In all fairness to her, she had not seen me in about a month.

I told her, "You just gave me material for my next blog post." I am anxious to show her how I kept my word.

Since 1972 when I developed my first bedsore, I have had eight surgeries on my left side and two more on my right side. I have spent at least a year in hospitals and many more months recovering at home. Each recovery takes a long time to get my strength and stamina back to the point where I can handle sitting up all day. As I get older, I am noticing recovery time is taking longer and longer. I am sure some of my chronically challenged readers can relate!

I am closing now since Mom just called me for dinner. Then, it is off to bed again as I will be pushing seven hours of being semi-vertical. I will watch the Twins game again and see if they can finally beat the best team money can buy. I really do not like what George Steinbrenner did when he bought the Yankees. But that is an editorial for another post.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Please Give Me Your Thoughts

I am in the final editing stages of a book I have been working on for several years. It is indeed the inspiration for this blog. Some of your comments are even in the book.

The working title is I'm Not Done Yet, And Neither Are You. My editor has come across some concerns with that title because of a possible copyright infringement. I have received opinions on both sides of that issue. I have been told it is okay to use it, while others are telling me I need to change it. It is still my preferred title, and I may end up using it.

Here is where I would like your thoughts on a title. I am listing several possible titles and I would like you to tell me which one you like. Also, please write any new title ideas you may have.

Thank you in advance.

I'm Not Done Yet

I Still Believe In Tomorrow

An Instant In Time May Change Everything

I Know Why I Broke My Neck

Don't Ever Break Your Neck ... 
It's Not Worth The Good Parking Spots

When Your Pride Goes Out The Window

If you are reading this on my Facebook page, please go to my blog and enter your thoughts as a comment. You may go to the blog by clicking here. While you are there, feel free to check out some of my old posts. You may find them educational, inspirational, entertaining and possibly even humorous. Also, please subscribe to it. If you do, you will get an email every time I post. That will allow you to get videos and other attachments that do not show up on Facebook.

I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I know it has been a long time since I last put up a post on my blog. That is about to change. I last posted in April. It was about Challenge, how some adults are challenging young people, about how you can challenge others and challenging yourself.

These last few months in particular, and the last eighteen months in general, have been especially challenging for me. As many of you know, I have been dealing with three pressure sores that are literally taking me two steps forward and one step back. Two of the sores are healing nicely and now, for no apparent reason, one has taken a sudden change for the worse.

Like I tell people, Don't ever break your neck. It's not worth the good parking spots. Anyway, I  have been pretty much bedridden these last few months. When I am siting up, it is only for two to three hours. A week ago, my wound doctor told me I could try sitting for three to four hours at a time. I want to try and take that extra time every so often and post on this blog.

I have caught you up a little and plan to try and start to posting a little more often in the coming months. It has been over a year since I gave my last speech, and I am getting a little stir crazy just lying in bed in this small apartment. Oh, by the way, I moved out of my house May fourteenth. That is a whole other story and material for another post.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike