Monday, October 18, 2010

A time for being inspired -- and, one day, actually inspiring others.

It's been quite a while since I've posted to my silly blog. I wasn't ready. Now I am. Here's the briefest of brief updates, followed by something that moved me -- finally -- to share something that I believe is worth sharing:

Since last time . . . . . let's see . . .

Cancer -- stage two Melanoma. Three times under the scalpel. Finger-biting time. Good news. No more cancer. Whew! A quick second scare. No worries. The Veterans Administration and Social Security recognize my combat-related condition and grant me disability status. Roller coasters of emotions, adjustments, scrambling to adjust more and time to face irritating obstacles I should have faced years ago.

A brief journey to Belgrade and Novi Sad, Serbia, and then to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, along with a couple of days working on my documentary about a most surprising, former German concentration camp where thousands of Jewish women and children spent their final days on Earth.

Home again and still adjusting and still facing (but not embracing) personal obstacles.
The whole time, I've explored a pathway for that mysterious and illusive desire to change things somewhere for the good.

Today, this inspired me enough to want to share it with everyone I know and even with people I don't know.
Would you please take some time to watch it? If it doesn't touch you, at least you'll know what touches me.





Oh, and you should feel free to share it with other folks. And if you wish, leave a comment here or send me an e-mail at donray@donray.com. I'm looking for ways to get involved somehow.

3 comments:

davidseville said...

My dear friend, you are an inspiration, and there's a great tune out there with a title describes your inspiring condition; "Just the Way You Are". Perfect proof is your adding the Jessica Jackley KIVA.ORG story to your blog..., that alone is inspiring. And now you know, from this clip, what inspired you fifteen years ago to stop at my US/MX Border bldg w/the "$81 OFFICES" banner, and also, why I have been doing this micro-level of economic development all my life: "it's always been to me, about 'their' stories, hopes and dreams I knew I could support, encourage, train and assist in developing into sustainability". You know my belief system, "love is the most powerful force in the Universe". Thanks for your post.

Don Ray said...

David is right about how we met. The truth is that I was there first because the operation "just didn't look right (JDLR)". The more I checked it out and questioned David, the more I realized that I was in the presence of a visionary and a great person. Thanks for the comment, David. Tell the family members I said, "Hey!"

Don Ray said...

David is right about how we met. The truth is that I was there first because the operation "just didn't look right (JDLR)". The more I checked it out and questioned David, the more I realized that I was in the presence of a visionary and a great person. Thanks for the comment, David. Tell the family members I said, "Hey!"