"Just a Thought" column continues in La Prensa of SA, 9-29

Just a Thought: “Never Got To….”
By Steve Walker

Watching one of many old re-runs of one of my all-time favorite TV shows the other night starring Della Reece, Roma Downey & John Dye, in “Touched By An Angel,” on a cable channel, I had a revelation.

Besides hearing Angels Tess, Monica, & Andrew, saying “God Loves You,’ in every episode, I heard a particular phrase in that episode that stopped me in my tracks and made me think. As the show went on I was taken by numerous other statements that touched me as well, but those are for a future column or two.

In the show a woman diagnosed with cancer runs into Andrew in a museum. Andrew introduces himself as the “Angel of Death,” and assures her that death is not imminent. They begin a conversation.

A Godly woman, she shares her concerns about leaving behind her young son and husband. She begins listing all the “never got to” things she hoped to accomplish in her life. Today we call that a “Bucket List.”

I believe many of us have “Bucket Lists” that we hope to check off before we die. Some of us have a long list and others of us are content to complete a few quality encounters with life as we define it.

The character in the show listed a few common to many of us like getting a college degree, being around to hug her grandchildren, travelling to all parts of the world, learning to play a piano and such. Playing piano was not one of my items on my “Bucket List,” although my mother played a piano well for years. I like to listen.

They actually even made a movie entitled “The Bucket List” (2007) with actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two ill and dying men who make a list to experience things they never made the time to do in the past.

As one who has been fortunate in getting to do lots of neat things and visit many cities and countries and meeting numerous famous people and having taught school for 26 years, I am content with that. However my bucket is not full yet since I am only a young 67 years old!! I still find myself as many of La Prensa readers that I can still say, “I Never Got To...”

Never knowing when it is our time we move on and continue to check off the “Never Got To..” list. Weeks ago I wrote two columns on “Making a Difference.”  This is technically a continuation of those columns. Let’s continue to make a difference as we check off our list. And oh by the way, the number one “Never Got to Do,” for me is working in the White House Press Corps. As I wait by the phone for the call, I can only say, “It ain’t over yet.”

Anyway, as always, what I write is “Just a Thought.”

Steve Walker is a Vietnam Veteran and former Justice of the Peace and Journalist.