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The Pinecone
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November 2013
f r om Don J oh n s on , K i r b y P i n e s Chap l a i n
Chaplain’s COrner
Nov embe r
Ve s pe r
Se r v i ce s
The Bucket List
November 7th
Reverend Nate Smith
Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian
November 14th
Reverend Dennis Neenan
Director of Pastoral Care and
Education at Wesley Senior Ministries
Special Music by: Melanie Duncan
November 21st
Reverend Luke Saunders
Student Pastor of Orchard Fellowship
Special Music by: Caroline Saunders
November 28th
Thanksgiving Day
No Vespers
Two great actors, who have starred in a wide range of roles and have given us outstanding
performances in each one, presented a remarkable film entitled “The Bucket List.” The
actors were Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Rich beyond imagination Nicholson
found himself in a hospital room (a hospital he himself owned) with another patient, Morgan
Freeman. He demanded a private room for his recovery, but was refused because he had
set up the rule that two patients had to be in every room. Both men now faced terminal
illness. One morning Freeman was scribbling on paper which he then tore off, crumpled up
and threw away. Nicholson asked what the note was. “Oh, it was nothing,” came the reply.
Persistently pursuing the matter he demanded to know what Freeman had been writing. The
reply, “That was my ‘Bucket List’.” Then came the question, “What’s a Bucket List?”
The answer, “It’s a list of all the things I want to do before I ‘kick
the bucket’.” The remainder of the movie detailed the wide
range of places the two men visited and the multiplicity of adventures they pursued during the
remaining months of their lives. Nicholson had the money to fulfill the wishes and both used the
remaining time to its full capacity.
It reminds me of a song by Tim McGraw describing a man with cancer who only had
six months to live. These are the song lyrics:
He said, I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime,
and I spent most of the next days looking at the x-rays,
talking about the options, and talking bout sweet time.
I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end.
How’s it hit you when you get that kinda news.
Man, what’d you do?
He said, I was in my early forties
And he said,
I went sky diving;
I went Rocky Mountain climbing;
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named FuManchu;
I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying.
And he said, someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.
Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what you’d do with it, what did you do with it,
what did I do with it, what would I do with it.
He was fulfilling his bucket list. Do we have such a list? If not, let’s start one
today. Are there people we want to see…places we want to go…things we want to
learn? We cannot afford to settle in and stop dreaming. What life is left must be
maximized! A lot of my list has been fulfilled, but there are still dreams to embrace.
Before we “kick the bucket” let’s enjoy more great adventures and accomplish more
challenging goals. Even when things seem out of reach, they can still be included
on our list. Let’s start today!
Till next time, Don Johnson, Kirby Pines Chaplain
