Here is Joel's post from our MFM site.
Thank you Joel.
We have
had the privilege of visiting Yellow Stone National Park twice. We went once in
1986 and once in 1990. The great geysers, wildlife, and incomparable panoramas
amazed us. We saw the buffalo, deer, and got a close-up of a moose cow and her
calf. We took rolls of film and kept even more memories. The moose shot
was likely a foolish one, we passed them while driving down a park road, and I
stopped and got out as she stood on the road behind us, the calf off the edge
in the woods that lined both sides.
Our
travels to Yellowstone are not the only wondrous visits we have been able to
enjoy. There could be very deep debates of what is the "best" place
in America, (over the earth?). Even the geysers are not unique to that area of
rugged beauty. Wolves, buffalo, birds and other scarce pieces of creation are
seeing the park as a refuge from what might otherwise be extinction. It could
be said that Yellowstone is one of the most diverse pieces of real estate we
can so easily get to.
We saw
the park twice, once before the fire, once after. Like most Americans, we sat
by television news reports of the destruction. There were comments of how it
might never recover. Supposed authorities cried this would be a tragedy from
which there would never be full recovery.
Our
second visit confirmed what some were very surprised to find. The burned areas
had found new life. Small plants that had been shielded from the sun, now
flourished. Diversity of life exploded after the fire. Even the animal life
continued to go on and even multiply. The new life in the park would not have
been except by the fire's passage. We learned that the lodgepole pine tree
cones don't open except in forest fires.
There are
things in life that do not come easy. Some great things only follow what others
would define as hurtful. Expressions of love, depth of concern, level of
compassion, and other big qualities of our humanity, are rarely seen or known
by other means. People with Mito, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and other
silent thieves are the "Petri dish" of growth for those who must care
for those who our society calls ill. These "ill" people (of which I
count myself) are not the debris of life. These lives challenge our sense of
normal, in love, in giving, in going beyond ourselves.
These
lives are the foundries of greater being. Too many lives fill their length
without doing anything memorable. Lives that breathed, ate, slept but never
reached out beyond simple day-to-day that is called life (by some). It was my
answer to such a call that led me to be a living liver donor. I saw a life that
was nearing a sad end, potentially leaving a wife and three kids behind. The
doctors were able to remove a part of my liver and completely replace the liver
of a man I will call friend. I did not get paid for this (such is illegal), and
it was not I who could gain that drove me. I gained being able to help. Now I
am receiving from others having become one in the "Mito family".
I believe
in God. I know that when we have given to others, He knows and remembers. Maybe
we should get T-shirts that say, "I am a lodgepole pine!" for the
depth of challenges that care-givers experience.
---------------------------------------------------
More
about Joel:
"I
am a 54 year old Son, Husband, Father, former cop/corrections officer, hiker,
bicyclist, rock climber, preacher, teacher, and Mito patient of 5 1/2 years.
Miriam and I live in Trinidad, Colorado, a small town that suits our living. I
would like us to be closer to doctors, medical providers and support group, but
for now we are comfortable in our community.
I was
born to stoic Iowa farmers. Miriam had a dad that was a career Air Force
officer, so she had many places to call home. We have three kids who are out on
their own. The older daughter (32) is married (and divorced so has heart pain
in addition to fibromyalgea), who does computer tech. Our son who in the middle
(28) is teaching English in Korea for now. Our youngest, a daughter (24) is
getting married this October, who is in social work (also fighting
fibromyalgea).
I am
putting some of my available energy into a "boys club" with some of
the teens and pre-teens in our church. I like working with my hands on cars,
electronics, and house repair."
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