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.
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