Travellin' On The City of New Orleans

Dear Friends,

Donna and I had a wonderful trip to Nashville, Tennessee to speak to the Alpha Omicron Pi 2015 Leadership Academy, appropriately themed "To Protect And To Serve." Nearly 500 undergraduate and alumnae sisters gathered in Franklin, Tennessee near their International Headquarters in Brentwood to discuss the ways and means of leadership, how to protect their amazing 118 year tradition, and to serve the communities in which they have Chapters. I want to thank Jodie Hassell, Events and Public Relations Manager, International President Allison Allgier, and Executive Director Troylyn LeForge for their kindnesses extended to Donna and me. The sisterhood I experienced in being with them was real and the kind that shapes a life and a career. Special thanks to the undergraduate sisters for their work with the Arthritis Foundations and for their caretaking of the vision that their four founders put forth for a lifetime of friendship, sisterhood, and service. This women's fraternity is positively impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of women worldwide. I am pleased that AOPi is back at Oregon State University!

Donna and I took the Empire Builder Amtrak train from Portland to Chicago and then the City of New Orleans train to Memphis before driving to Nashville. Though a week before Mardi Gras, the train was filled with revelers. Thank God we have one city in America like Nawlins. Everyone seems to live in the moment. That's a lesson cancer has taught me. While in Memphis, we visited the Chi Omega Headquarters as our daughters Christa and Hannah are Chi O's. We were given a nice tour of the beautiful headquarters facility which is being expanded to meet the needs of a growing women's fraternity. I got out of the gift shop in under one hundred dollars which was quite an accomplishment.
Much is said negatively about fraternities and sororities, but after my time with the AOPis and our tour of Chi O, I remain a big fan of these groups which call women into positions of leadership and provide fantastic post graduate networking opportunities.

We then took the short trip to Nashville to stay with my former student and now friend and colleague Rev. Clay Stauffer, his wife Dr. Megan Stauffer, and their two children Miss Montgomerie and Mr. Clayton as they say in the South.  Clay provided an opportunity for me to present a Saturday morning program on leadership which was attended by over a hundred members of the Woodmont Christian Church where Clay is the Senior Minister. This was my third visit to Woodmont and I am amazed by the incredibly warm Southern welcome they extend to visitors. The Church is growing and I can see why. We attended a Mardi Gras party Saturday evening hosted by real Cajuns who are members of the Church. As it is with most Acadians, we mentioned how much we liked the decorations and beads and they made us take them home for our grandchildren Addie and Harvey. You don't dare tell Southerners you like something, especially those from Looziana, because they will just give whatever it is to you and make you take it home.

I preached two sermons on Sunday, entitled "Three Great Teachers", about Dr. Marcus Borg, cancer, and Jesus and the lessons they had taught me. Audio recordings of the sermon are available through Woodmont, but let me say that the highlight was the music. It was amazing. In the early service a Celtic Band called City of Light played and their music lifted my spirit as high as the Woodmont Steeple. I do not know if they have CDs, but if they do, get them. At the later service the Choir performed and was beautiful in their presentations of the hymns. Being a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the west, it was eye opening and amazing to have a huge Church full twice on the same day. When the children came forward for the Children's Moment, well over 50 children made their way to the front. I want to thank the soon-to-be members Ewing Family for taking us out to lunch, and to Rev. Dr. Roy Stauffer (Clay's Father and Associate Minister) for the gift of the book "The Rebirthing Of God" by John Philip Newell,  and to Bryan Sargent for his gift of the book "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. The later book is about a Professor dying of cancer and the last lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon University. Powerful and poignant. Mr. Sargent inscribed the book, "Will, Thanks for sharing your insights and passion. You and Donna are one of us. You have our prayers." At this time of my life when I am hoping that my life mattered in some way to others, it was a beautiful gesture to include me in the life of their vital congregation. If you are ever in Nashville, drop by Woodmont Christian Church. Their dynamic program in December called "Christmas in Bethlehem" is the most creative Christmas program I have ever seen. Rev. Clay Stauffer will certainly welcome you as will his congregation.

Our trains were on time both ways and we read, talked, watched movies (we particularly liked The Butler and Wild) and sipped a little wine. It was a beautiful trip with a beautiful woman.

Cancer-wise, I had my 8th chemo infusion treatment on February 12th. I have now had 4 Yervoy and 4 Keytruda treatments if you are interested. Special thanks to my friends Dr. Michael Finley and Kimber Williams for sending me articles on my drugs and the treatment of melanoma that give me hope. I will have a PET Scan on February 26th and then we will be able to assess progress. I cannot say thank you enough to the Knight Cancer Center and the Oregon Health Sciences University for the excellent care I have received. Particularly Dr. Matthew Taylor, Oncologist and his Nurse Practitioner Melanie Farnsworth, FNP, AOCNP. I do not want to overreact, but I am pleased to tell you that the golf ball sized tumor by my bellybutton has either disappeared, or shrunk to the point where neither the nurse or I can locate it. As my hero Bill Murray said in Caddie Shack, "I got that going for me."

My speaking schedule over the next several weeks includes two days at Linfield College to speak to Greeks and Student Athletes, a presentation to the Benton County High School Career Convention, The Humane Society, a trip to Southern California to speak to the Claremont Mudd Scripts Colleges Relay For Life Cancer program (and watch three of our high school now college softball players compete against each other!) This will be my first official cancer speech at CMS and I am nervous and excited. I am thinking about starting a group called the "Collegiate Cancer Community" to support all the students who are wrestling with cancer in themselves and their families. A stunning number of students have told me their stories and I think we could be a powerful support group for each other and a potential fundraising group for the fight against cancer. Let me know what you think of this idea. I will speak at the 100th Anniversary Dinner of Greek Life at Oregon State University, and then to 5,000 high delegates at the State of Iowa FFA Convention in Ames, Iowa hosted by the great Iowa State University.

The point is this...I am trying to live my life and not let cancer dictate what I do and how I do it. This morning the dark voice said to me at 4:54 am., "What if the treatments don't work? How will the end be? What..." You get the point. It is then that you are so very important to me as what my friend Tommy from Michigan calls "Battle Buddies." The dark voice scares me awake and then I realize that I am not in this alone. I whisper, "Get behind me Satan.", and then I think of all of you who are praying for me, thinking good thoughts, and supporting me spiritually and through acts of friendship. That's how I go back to sleep...thinking of you and how truly blessed I am and how grateful I am for you...each of you. I told the Woodmont Christian Church members that I had a ton of respect for agnostics and atheists because they could face cancer alone. I cannot. I acknowledge my need for what they would call a crutch, and I call God. I admit that alone I am weak and scared, but buoyed up by you, I can face the darkness until the light again comes through my windows. I always knew I had amazing friends and family members, but cancer has drawn those relationships into language. It has made it easier for me to say "I love you.", especially to my male friends with whom friendship and love rarely enters into words.

And news flash...I just took a call from Shahin Edalatdju, our Church's sponsored refugee from two decades ago who has asked me to baptize his two sons when Sami and I are in Southern California in March. In the midst of my cancer journey, some of the most amazing things have presented themselves. When he arrived from Iran, he could not speak English and was all alone. He now is a successful husband and father, business man, and Christian. He once told, "I have found the God of love." Me too. Cancer has reintroduced me to the God that I had frankly just taken for granted. And like God, Shahin never gave up on me, nor forgot our friendship.

So my daughter Christa is right again. My blog entry has become what she calls a "novella." Wait until she gets to this one. I love you all and pray for you every night under the "Thank you God for..." section of my prayers. Be in touch.

Will