Saw it written and I saw it say, “If this is all that’s left, then...”

My dad had a few stories he'd return to again and again when discussing his life as a quadriplegic. One took place a few days after he received his prognosis. He had about 10 years, and they wouldn't be easy.

He says he took stock of what remained, and decided to cash in. "If this is all that's left," he prayed, "then just take me now."

Of course, he had made a simple but significant accounting error. The value of his life had not been lost, it had been redistributed. The next 10 years would be his most valuable, a realization brought on by the happy thought of his young son who needed his dad.

From that moment, I like to believe the specter of death became my father's counsel. It sat with him always, advising that it wasn't enough to be alive. He had people to live for. And so he did. Bound to a wheelchair, he took care of everyone he could for 22 years.

AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE is the third WAVE of SOULED. It debuted to the public at WHEN WE WERE 36, accompanied by John William's “Farewell Neverland," courtesy Sony Classical.

The artist pledged to donate 1/12 of the value of each WORK purchased from WAVE 3 to the Lexington Art League (totaling between 25¢ and $512). If all 12 WORKS were purchased, however, ATB would have donated $6,144 — the full value of the 12th WORK.