October 8, 2010 11:50 PM

What you can learn from a movie!

We watched the movie "Secretariat"today. The real message of the movie is to believe in yourself and what you are. Don't quit or let others dictate how you should run your life.

While watching it, I realized that I have stepped forward in my life in so many ways during my illness and recovery that I know that I am not the same person that I was almost two years ago when this all started. I have never enjoyed speaking in front of others yet I now give Zimmerman House tours without any problems. My second time in the Sunday morning pulpit was no problem at all. I have tackled projects here at home that I never would have considered doing beforehand and I have succssfully completed them. Today I received notice that I have another name to call as part of the leukemia First Connection program. Counseling others was never something that I thought that I would be doing in my life.

Because of all of this, my life is fuller and I no longer hold back when it comes to doing something. A newfound confidence exists that says that I should give it a try - not a feeling of defeat before I've even started because a task may appear to be too difficult to do.

As I said earlier, this disease has helped me to better know and understand who I am and what I can do. And I continue to amaze myself at what I have accomplished. I am not trying to brag here. All I am saying is that I now feel unshackled in so many ways that my life is better off for it.

I don't wish this disease on anyone, but for me there has been a big silver lining in that seemuingly black cloud...

Bob