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Date: 8/12/2003
Location: Arlington Heights, IL
Journal Entry:
THE FOLLOWING ARE REFLECTIONS FROM A CTCA/CTRF STAFF MEMBER WHO
CONTRIBUTED TO MARTIN'S CELEBRATE LIFE RUN:
I have been given an incredible opportunity these past 4 months
by designing and maintaining this website. And, like those of
you who have followed these journal entries along the way, I
feel like Martin has invited us to come along with him--to
learn from his experiences and allow it to challenge us--and
even change us.
Martin presents a shining example of "sacrificial" giving. No,
I'm not talking about the 2-3% the typical American gives of
their yearly income to charity--this is far too low for most of
us to honestly call a "sacrifice". I am talking about the
sacrifice that truly costs us something--that gets our hands
dirty, works up a sweat, creates a risk, or requires us to
sacrifice something we desire, with absolutely no expectations
of return. It is a type of giving that is motivated by a love
for our neighbor and not obligation, or wrapped in false
humility.
We all dream of living an exciting and extraordinary life and
Martin is no different. All too often we become too focused on
what we lack, rather than what we already possess. And it is
difficult to be a sacrificial giver when we are focused on our
deficiencies. Before his motorcycle accident, Martin lived like
most Americans until he learned that the secret of living an
extraordinary life was in becoming a blessing to others and
using his God-given talents and everything in his being toward
this goal.
In the movie Schindler's List, Oscar Schindler saved the lives
of several Jews from the Nazi concentration camps using all his
power and influence. In the end, despite all the lives he
saved, he realized that he still could have saved more. Looking
at a ring, a pin, even his car, he knew that if only he had
sacrificed these items he could have saved even more. How many
of us will look back at the opportunities we had to help others
and say, "If only..."
Imagine what would happen if we all became sacrificial givers,
as Martin so eloquently exhibits. Perhaps we would find the
cure to cancer much sooner--by the time it strikes our own
friends and family, or even ourselves. What if we raised the
national giving percentage to 5, 10, or even 15 or 20 percent
of our annual income. How could we harness our own abilities
and talents to help others? What would it take? What would we
need to sacrifice?
What if we all took this leap of faith and discovered that
sacrificial giving made us true life-long friends as Martin
made along his journey--friends who share their personal
stories--friends who open their hearts and homes, and help when
we need it. Martin recently mentioned that while his experience
has been so rich, it will take some time to process all that he
has learned. That is what I call living an extraordinary life!
THANK YOU MARTIN!
Scot Gallup
Cancer Treatment Centers of America
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