Great Joy – Great insight……….

When the A.P. Managing Editors conference ended at noon on Friday, Mark Suban and I paid a visit to our friends at Kelby Media. You may better know them as NAPP, The National Association of Photoshop Professionals. One of the greatest honors I’ve enjoyed in my career was when Scott Kelby asked me to join the team of great teachers that do classes on Kelby Training. Actually Scott asked me over a year ago if I would join them and quite honestly I thought he was just being nice.
When he asked again recently with genuine emphasis, I was thrilled to say yes. Teaching in front of an audience is one thing, talking to a camera is something else altogether. My first class which we taped Friday afternoon is on how to select the right equipment and accessories for the field.
My good buddy Matt Kloskowski hosted the session and he made that first day in the studio a lot easier. Matt is a really talented young man and truly a great friend, it wasn’t long before he had me feeling much more comfortable.

I’m thrilled to be doing these classes and joining a team of teachers that I have the most admiration for. I can’t wait to tape the next class on, in the field landscape photography techniques.

Now for something a lot more serious. I had a dream Saturday night and when I woke up it gave me something to ponder. God said to me, this is to be shared. (O.k. for anyone that had only landed here recently, I did not sit down at the kitchen table with God and talk to him about this.
What I mean is that I was thinking about if I should share this or if this was just for my edification.
In my “spirit” I felt a strong leading that this was not for me alone. So here goes.)

The dream was about a visit to see my cancer specialist. My Doctor, Mitchell, is a really nice guy, we have a lot of things in common and I’m always comfortable to sit and talk to him, after all we talk about some pretty profound things in our visits. I’m sure the dream was related to the flurry of annual cancer check-ups I’ve been going through over the past month. So in the dream Mitchell said, “Bill, I’m sorry but the tests confirm my worst fears, you have throat cancer and it has spread to far to be cured. I want you to get your affairs in order, you probably have only a couple of weeks.” Once again this is a dream, though let me remind you, it could be true for me, or you tomorrow. I thanked Mitchell and said I would do just that. He told me that I could extend my life by a month or so but they would have to remove vocal cords and much of my throat and I opted to not do that.

I went home and sat down at the computer and started to write out those thoughts that I needed to get down before i could not longer deal with the pain. My voice was already deteriorating and I wanted all this down for my family and friends. What I wrote is the key to this story. It went something like this;

Sherelene, God gave me my greatest blessing when he allowed me to spend a life with you. No hollywood screenplay could have ever topped the friendship, fellowship and romance that we have enjoyed, I’ve been blessed beyond measure. We both knew that after two winning bouts with cancer that this day could come. I’ve been preparing for it for along time. I take great comfort that you are strong and independent and will be a victorious survivor. I love you more than you will ever know.

To Scott, Wesley and Catherine. I could not be more proud of you. You have all married well,
and become wonderful parents and great people. You obviously learned far more than I was able to teach you and you’ve become the kind of people every parent prays their children will turn out to be.

Hannah, Ben, Cassidy, Cade, Elijah and Abigail, you guys have become the bright glowing lights in my life. It has been the greatest of joys to watch you grow up, to hold you and laugh with you.
I know it will be hard for you to understand why I left this earth, but trust me, because you know I’ve never lied to you, I will be closer than you think, and will be watching over you from heaven.

To my friends, God gave me the greatest life, much because I got to spend it with all of you, I will miss you, but pray everyday that someday when I’m standing near a gate in Heaven that I may welcome each of you as you arrive.

I said some other things but that covers the most important highlights. I tell God in prayer all the time, thank you for another day, I know you can call this life of mine to an end whenever you want.
Thank you father for every day and every blessing you allowed in my life, I could not have asked for more.

The message I got from all of this is really simple.

We never know when our last day will come.

So we need to be sure to:

Know God.
Accept God.
Thank God.
Desire God’s will for our lives.
And always be ready to meet God, face to face.

I hope this was not to emotional for you, but then maybe that’s just exactly what God wanted for both of us.

“For what does it profit a man if gains the world, but looses his soul?”

the pilgrim