by JD | Jun 23, 2011 | * Making A Difference!!
A week away! It’s truly amazing to me that in 7 days, the boys and I will be heading out on the adventure of a lifetime, jumping into the void of the great unknown. It’s unsettling at best, but the possibilities of discovery are endless. I know that my sons and I will come back different people… that much is a given. Here’s a little inside information: I have been really emotional and crying alot, not just because I’m a tad scared and sad to leave my life and people I love behind, but because I feel like something remarkable, extraordinary, and profound is about to take place and at times my feelings are overwhelming.
We fly out of JFK and have a layover in Berlin, where Jackson will celebrate his 14th birthday. He wants to go to the Berlin Wall, or at least check out what is still left of The Wall. He’s going to do a video blog on the subject, which I think will be really cool.
Then we are off to St. Petersburg, Russia for our first volunteer job. We will be working with “Transit”. It’s an organization that helps homeless teens transition from being on the street to being placed in foster care. We are really looking forward to helping there.
We are so grateful to all the people who have made this journey possible. I want to thank a few by name: Robert Shapiro, Ed Smith, Bo Henderson, Ed Springs, Liz Branca, Lisa MacLeish, LuAnne Bernier, Scott Pacitti, Kristina Haddad, Esther Benjamin, Rachel Woodhouse, Valerie Bobo, Sue Sanford, Jennifer Taylor, Michael Lightweaver, Peter Cipkowski, Bert Woodard, Jay Everette, Scott Galiher, Les Satinover, Lindsey Moser, Linda Britt, Patti Price and to every single actor at The Actor’s Lab – Charlotte, who has encouraged me every week to plow through it. I love you all.
Okay, Jack and Buck, time to start packing… Let’s begin The Lewis and Lewis and Lewis Expedition!
We’ll keep you all posted.
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…. jd
by JD | Jun 6, 2011 | * Making A Difference!!
It has been a tough couple of weeks. The boys and I moved from our three-bedroom house in Plaza Midwood to a one-room efficiency apartment with no air conditioning. That in itself was quite an adjustment. We wanted to get everything in storage and get used to living in small quarters… But then all hell broke loose.
My aunt and uncle who raised me my entire life both passed away 2 weeks apart. And in between that, I was diagnosed with a carcinoma on my lip and had to have two surgeries. …one to remove a lymph node in my neck (which came back negative, thank God) and another to cut out the cancer on my lip. The good news… all is well and it’s all taken care of even though currently I look like Angelina Jolie. It has felt like a spiritual battle… as if the dark forces were trying to get in the way of us going out and making a difference in the world.
Isn’t it interesting how things end up working out? I had mentioned to my sister six months ago how I was concerned about leaving my elderly aunt and uncle behind while we did this trip. Now they have both passed on. It’s like they moved on to pave the way for what we are about to do. Though the loss is great, I feel that it’s part of a master plan. And as far as the lip… The doctor said that I was incredibly lucky to have caught it before I left for a year abroad. Truly, I am the luckiest man alive.
Enough squawking. Back to preparing for the great journey!
So now we are slowly getting back on track. We have a little more than 3 weeks left until we ship out. It has crept up on us quickly. We are getting used to living in small quarters, though I do have to admit, it’s a bit cramped and hot. By the way, the neighbors at our new place have been incredibly kind and baked us cookies and have been so welcoming.
Our visas are almost all in order, we have most of our immunizations done and we are preparing for the home stretch. If you have ever taken a trip, you know that it seems like you are never going to get everything done before you leave. Well, it REALLY feels that way to me. Leaving for a year, there is so much to get in order.
But I have made the To-Do list and I have been checking things off each day…. And come July 1st, we will be on our merry way.
We are still raising funds and will continue to do so as the trip progresses. If our mission resonates with you, please donate here on the website. Until the next blog… Coming soon. jd
We will be posting a video blog this week as well.
A week away! It’s truly amazing to me that in 7 days, the boys and I will be heading out on the adventure of a lifetime, jumping into the void of the great unknown. It’s unsettling at best, but the possibilities of discovery are endless. I know that my sons and I will come back different people… that much is a given. Here’s a little inside information: I have been really emotional and crying alot, not just because I’m a tad scared and sad to leave my life and people I love behind, but because I feel like something remarkable, extraordinary, and profound is about to take place and at times my feelings are overwhelming.
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