Head Fake

The other day I was cleaning my room.

I desperately needed to.

It was driving me crazy.

But as I was organizing my desk drawer, I looked up at my alphabetized books.  

The one on the end is my favorite...The Last Lecture.

I started thinking about what that book meant to me. 

It took me forever to read it.

I get distracted easily.

But I finally finished it this summer.  

I was on the bus coming back from my last church camp ever.

I wasn't really sitting with any of my friends, so I thought it was the opportune moment to finally finish the book.

When I got back to the church, my mom was waiting for me.

She took me out to lunch in Denton and we drove around town to spend time with each other.

She asked how camp was, and how the drive back was.

When I told her that I had finally finished my book that morning, she looked at me with grave eyes.

She told me that Randy Pausch, the author and pancreatic cancer victim, had passed away just that morning.

I didn't really know what to say.

Obviously, I had no personal ties with the man, but by reading his book about living out your childhood dreams, I felt like I had gotten to know him quite well.

It made me think about how we need to appreciate what we have right now.

Don't keep making plans for tomorrow and the day after that.

It might not be there.

Then I realized I couldn't really remember any of my childhood dreams.

Like every kid, I wanted to be a vet at some point, but I honestly can't remember any deep-seated passion within me.

The only thing I vividly remember is that one Easter Sunday, my family and I went to a park to take pictures.

While we were walking around, I found a camera that had been lost in a field of grass.

We walked around asking people if the camera belonged to them, but no one would claim it.

I think it was a sign.

And ever since that day, I've become more and more involved with photography.

I think God puts little road signs in our lives to direct us where to go.

Even if we don't realize they are there, we can look back in hindsight and realize...

This was meant to be.

Please watch his lecture.  

It is an hour and sixteen minutes, but well worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo