(Please forgive problems with formatting.)

1.1.       Find a spiritual director.  (Done. Now meet weekly with Fr. Gregory Beaumont.)

1.2.       Write a 500-600 word piece along the lines of, “The Joy of Impending Death.”

1.3.       Go beyond my typical religious reading (Soteriology, Ecclesiology, and Apologetics) and start reading—and practicing!—more on Spirituality:

1.3.1.   Thomas à Kempis  Imitation of Christ  üpurchased

1.3.2.   Teresa of Avila Interior Castle

1.3.3.   John of the Cross Dark Night of the Soul

1.3.4.   Thomas Merton Seven Story Mountain     (Reading now; 1/2 way through; surprised that I'm loving it.)

1.3.5.   Chiara Lubich Essential Writings: Spirituality Dialogue Culture üpurchased

1.3.6.   Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Live

1.3.7.   Peter Kreeft  Prayer for Beginners  üpurchased

1.3.8.   _________________ (suggestions welcome)

1.4.       Attend a Cursillo (4-day Catholic retreat)

1.5.       Consider joining Focolare movement

1.6.       Develop a warm and mutually respectful relationship with my primary oncologist, Marshall Flam.  (Done.)

1.7.       See the Three Gorges in China before its completely flooded. (Unlikely to do this.)

1.8.       Visit with Chris Williams and hear about his life journey since graduating from Pioneer Christian Academy in 1992.  ü

1.9.       Visit with many past friends and acquaintances, especially those who may not know that he/she is a Person Who Was Important in My Life, or to whom I want to make amends.

          Partial list: Brother Aquinas, Teddy Allen, Don Barber, Terry Barber, David Bergland and Sharon Ayres, Geoff Braun, Burt Blumert, Arni Burron, Warren Carroll, Ed & Alicia Clark, Brad Coleman, Linda Conley, Mildred Conley, Walter Conley, Jim Farver, John Finn, Stewart Fischer, Garrett Fitzgibbons, Bev Fitzpatrick, Fr. J. Vincent Fitzpatrick, Yvonne Freeman, widow of George Friedl, Dick Frost, Albert Gad, Eric Garris, Bill Grabe, Jim Grady, Walter Grinder, Scott Hahn, Alan Harrison, David Hicks, Van Hicks, Russell Hittinger, Andrew Hoffecker, Tom Huebner, Houston Jones, Gordon Leipold, Kathy Lennon (of Lennon sisters), Howard Loewen, Peg Luksik, Elmer Martens, Bob Marzano ü, Bobbie Mason, Fr. John McCloskey, Fr. Finnian McGinn, Gene McKibben, Ken Metz family, Kay Palush, Bob Osborne, Randy Paschal, Vincent Perez ü, Mary Jo Robinson family, Janet Smith, Ned & Sherron Snead, Joe Sobran, Charles Solis, Berndt Strücker, Gary Thompson family, Vic Talavara (best man at wedding; haven’t seen since), Sam and Carolyn Treynor, Bill Spady, Tillman family, Billy van Berkler, Bill Vitek, Gary Wagoner, Aunt Margery Weber and Al Weiss ü.
NB: This list is waaaayyyyy incomplete and will grow.  ü

1.10.    Maintain a tidy desk and living space; use a filing system for the first time in my life; keep orderly records. I.E., Be-more-like-Virgil and less like a child.

1.11.    Fold my laundry.

1.12.    Avoid using my terminal cancer condition to abuse or misuse people; increase my patience with people who repeat themselves or tell me useless (to me) details. Avoid trying to “fix them;” welcome all callers.  ü

1.13.    Greet all doorbell ringers as if they were the first human contact I’d had after a week in solitary confinement; help each of them attain their goals, even if it means “just” a prayer that they find a good prospect among my neighbors.  ü

1.14.    Make 1,000 new friends.  ü