The Melheimian Sabbatiblog

My Little Girl

Yeah. They grow up.

Hopefully, we do, too.

Happy Death Day

Hey, long time no blog.

I've taken a break and tried to get my health back in order. I also decided I wouldn't bother you with reading my entries until I had something worth writing. So, here goes:

Last week I had my one year anniversary of my heart stopping. We entertained friends on the deck overlooking the beautiful St. Croix River, blew bubbles with a lot of giggling children, talked about "What would you do if you knew you only had a year to live?" and they sang "Happy Death Day" to me.

After my incident, the doctor told me I'd have to rethink three things: diet, exercise and stress.

I asked him, "How about two out of three?"

He didn't buy it. So, I started running to Wisconsin every morning from my house across the Stillwater Bridge, got rid of red meat and fried foods, and shifted my work toward all the stuff I love to do (handing all the stuff I don't love to do to others... who now have the stress).

So, what were the "Top Ten" things I loved to do in these last 12 months of new life?

1. I started a new non-profit, "The Preschool Incubators Project"
2. Started a cartoon company "EduToonz"
3. Cartooned the book of acts in a new book that's out next month "Word Spreads"
4. Threw a party for my  Dr. He Qi during his show at the Museum of Biblical Art in NYC
5. Threw a "Thank You Pastor Ray" party for my 88 year old dad - dragging kids from our old youth group in for the surprize
6. Took my kids to "Wicked" in Chicago and "Spamalot" on Broadway
7. Entertained an Aussie sheep farmer and playright, then 8 Aussie youth revolutionaries
8. Helped my dad sell his house and move into assisted living
9. Helped my daughter move to Concordia college
10. Took 8 musicians to Puerto Rico and 16 o Aspen, CO to write 200 songs and six cartoon scripts

Tuesday I'm off to Australia and New Zealand for a month of teaching/training of some wonderful Christian education systems change agents across the continent.

Not a bad year for a dead Lutheran? (Dead Lutheran... now there's an oxymoron)

I think I have the funnest call in the church.

What will the new year of "borrowed time" bring?  We shall see.

Rich

(PS At my "Happy Death Day Party" I grilled a T-bone - the first piece of red meat I've had in a year. It was delicious. I think I'll do it again next year.