In my previous essay, I wrote about Dylan Thomas’ poem, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night. That essay was very important to me personally. Thomas tells his readers,

Having done the dance with death twice, I know that I have a finite amount of time remaining. I need to get engaged and not waste my time. It is a precious commodity. Once time is spent, it can’t be reused.

As for my time, the most important issue of my life relates to the students at the two schools that my granddaughters attend in Taunggyi, Myanmar. I am about ready to start a fundraising drive to raise $500,000 for 1250 laptops and improved Internet service for the two schools where my granddaughters attend classes.

I have completed all the requirements. I’m just impatiently waiting for GoFundMe to post my appeal. While I wait, I have written out a long list of other items that need to be addressed related to my returning to Myanmar during winter break in less than nine months. Additionally, I was posting grades for the two classes that I was teaching along with jotting down an outline for article for my webpage.

I was busy. However, in the midst of this demanding onslaught of stuff, guess whose email arrived? Ti Ti’s. The only time that she can email me is when her mother visits her. Her high school has what they call a hostel for their students. Essentially, she is living on campus while she is in high school. The school is designed for gifted and talented students. Ti Ti is an extremely gifted and talented student. She actually amazes me.

Therefore, when her email arrived, I stopped everything that I was doing and read it. Then I reread it and smiled. Ti Ti and several of her classmates sleep in a dormitory room like at colleges in America. However, one night around 4 am, Ti Ti was awaken to what she thought was a ghost. However, the ghost had made enough noise to awaken a couple other of her friends. The ghost turned out to be another one of her friends who couldn’t sleep. This is the end of Ti Ti’s email.

Randy Pausch, in his Last Lecture, said, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” Instead of getting angry at one of her roommates, Ti Ti thanked her for waking her up so that she could start to study early that day. Talk about someone who is driven. I’m proud of her. Ti Ti took the cards that were dealt her and played them quite well.

Allow me to share with you the cards that are dealt me. I have less than nine months to raise a half million dollars for the school where Ti Ti attends and the other school where her two younger sisters attend classes. The cards that were dealt me were late in arriving. Therefore, I will play the cards that I have. To put it more to the point, I need your help. This is my request.