Giving...

In the past year or so, I've come to realize just how blessed I am... in lots of ways.  I'm healthy.  My family is healthy.  That means so much to me.

I've decided that I need to give back... it's my job to help others in need.  I can only imagine being in a life threatening situation (myself or one of my family members) and depending on someone else's life to save mine.

About a year ago, I added myself to the bone marrow donor list.  I pray that they call me sometime in my lifetime.  That's something I really want to do.  I've seen stories of children, moms, and dads, who NEED a donor in order to survive.  It's something I can do.

Recently, I've been seeing how great the shortage of blood is in America.  It's a major ordeal and can mean life or death for someone in a hospital today.

So I decided I wanted to give.  I've never given blood before, but figured it was no big deal... I'm pretty tough when it comes to things like that.... and especially if I have the right mindset.

So Jason, Jase and I went to our local Wal-Mart Sunday right after church, where the bus was located.  The girls were very nice, and I enjoyed talking to them more than anything.  The blood drawing part wasn't quite as successful as I'd hoped it would be.  My blood pressure was really low, and the veins kept blowing.  We tried both arms.  The second arm was okay, until halfway through.  It just completely stopped pumping. (clot, I guess).

I was disappointed, but she said they could still use what they got.  I plan to try again as soon as I can.  3 months or so, I think.  

I would never want this to be about me.  It's not.  I want to share with you just how important it is to give (if possible) in order to save lives.  That's what we're here for.