BELOVED PROFESSOR RANDY PAUSCH DIES AT 47.

REST IN PEACE DR. PAUSCH AND THANK YOU FOR THE JOY YOU ADDED TO THE LIVES OF MANY.
***In honor of Dr. Randy Pausch and his family, I am running a repeat post that I had written on May 26, 2008.
I learned from a friend just a little while ago that Dr. Pausch passed away early on July 25, 2008. Consider what LIFE really is...Randy Pausch will never know who was elected president. But in this moment, does it matter? I have to ask myself that hard question. We place far too much emphasis on things that do not bring joy, love, peace and happiness. There are those who thrive on drama, harm, self-pity and judgment. Randy Pausch was not one of those. He was extraordinary. He both touched and changed many lives in this country and never intended to do so. God be with his family. Hold them all in your prayers and as I said when Tony Snow passed away, Randy is with God today. I am sure he is overjoyed in his childlike wonder of it all. God bless the Pausch family now and in the coming days.*** -Anne Haley
POST FROM MAY 26, 2008-
"MEET DR. RANDY PAUSCH"


If you haven't heard that name, I am asking you to please familiarize yourself with it. Take a dose of harsh reality, combine it with sincerity, humor and a real human being and you get Dr. RANDY PAUSCH. You will be awestruck at his courage, but most of all how he "lives" his life. His mental, spiritual and emotional strength will surely bring a tear or in my case, many tears.
I don't know when (if ever) I have been more inspired by a personality, a life story or a human being since I learned about Dr. Randy Pausch. The closest thing I have come to witnessing this kind of strength personally, was when I was actively involved with my best friend Frieda Hudson. Watching her fight for her life and work so hard to recover from her strokes was amazing and I was honored to be beside her.
Pausch was busy living his dreams, building his life, building his family and all was right with the world for him. It was then that he learned he had pancreatic cancer. Dr. Pausch has three small children. He is just a bit older than me and it really made me stop and truly look at life differently.
He advises "us"...his fellow human beings...to find our passions. He advises us to live our childhood dreams. He in fact, actually still has his "list" and he has accomplished the majority, if not all of them.
Randy Pausch is brilliant academically. That in itself is an accomplishment, but out of no where comes this man with this ZEAL, this SPIRIT, this incredible smile....and he is dying. His humor is contagious. His outlook is optimistic when one would think there would be no room for optimism. He was diagnosed in 2006, but in August of 2007, he was told he had 3 to 6 months to live. He basically asserts that if you are given that kind of news and you haven't "lived your life according to your passions," it's too late at that point to start "TRYING" to live. In fact, he infers that you should have been "living" all along...not when you learn that you have an incurable illness. Pausch rejoices that it was 9 months ago that he was told the 3 to 6 month time span.
He's a fighter, he loves his wife, he loves his family and it will be a long, long time, if ever that America sees a hero like Dr. Randy Pausch. I'm just sorry I didn't know about his work sooner. I only learned about him as a result of his illness, his interviews and watching his interview with Diane Sawyer.
Randy Pausch and his wife (Her name is Jai, pronounced "Jay" and he met her while speaking at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.) haven't been married all that long. They were doing what the rest of us do. Or are we? THEY were building their dreams, their lives, and moving forward and out of the blue, as I have discussed in this blog before, everything changed on a dime for that family. We can say we are living our lives to the fullest too, but I doubt we "really" are doing all that we can do in terms of loving, caring, laughing and actually making a contribution to "life."...and as far as we know, we don't have a deadly form of cancer that we are aware of. We just run the routine...day in, day out.
Pausch implores us not to take our lives for granted. He asks us to find our passion and go for it. He asks us most of all to "love."
So many people are motivated by money, things, status, appearances, hanging with the right group, social status, power, control...but none of those things are as powerful as knowing someone LOVES you. Not one of those things matter when life is at its end.
If you haven't read the book, "THE LAST LECTURE," please do so. It will, I believe make a change in your life.
You can go to YouTube and see the ENTIRE last lecture that Dr. Pausch spoke at Carnegie-Mellon University. Pausch had been asked to do a "last lecture," as many professors are, in order to try and theorize what you have to say IF it were indeed your last lecture. He was asked BEFORE he learned of his illness. Initially, Pausch had second thoughts about it after his diagnosis. Who wouldn't? As I said, it was to be a theoretical "last lecture." It is done at many universities and is considered a great honor. But, even knowing it was truly his last lecture, Pausch wasn't daunted. It's about an hour and worth every second of it. In fact, google Randy Pausch and read all you can, learn all you can and take in all you can from this man. His wisdom is so inspiring. There is a link to the right of my posts that will link you to a place to purchase the book. (Carnegie-Mellon is now selling copies of "The Last Lecture" DVD and I believe the money goes to pancreatic cancer research.) I have bought copies of the book for lots of folks, as I believe this story is "that" important. You can find it at all major bookstores. Do yourself and those you love a favor and get it (if I haven't gotten it for you yet! ha!) I gave it to Marah for her own graduation, as I felt it was "THAT" important for her to read as she enters into "the real world." After you have learned about Dr. Randy Pausch, do a favor for me....would you? Get back to me on those "problems" you've been having! We have no problems. We do NOT have any problems. If you don't see what I mean by that upon learning about this amazing man...well...then something is wrong with you upstairs! Or you simply have no heart...and you'd better get that looked into quickly. I don't think you can "live" for very long without a heart either. Pun intended!
In order to pique your interest, please see the video above from the recent surprise address he gave at the 2008 Commencement at Carnegie-Mellon. His charge is short...about 6 minutes and it will leave you hungering to know more about this man and his life. I could go on and on, but what I have to say "about" Randy Pausch isn't important. What is important is that YOU give him a listen..and then be truly thankful.
Till next time...make your moments count for something,
Annie

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