WWE wrestling superstar, John Cena once said, “If you were given one wish, what would you do with it? I don’t know if ‘Hang out with John Cena’ would be at the top of my list. But the fact that that is on someone’s list is the coolest thing.” This is probably why he has granted over 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His enthusiasm to help others encouraged us to add #53) Fulfill 1 Child’s Wish in Person through Make A Wish Foundation to our Helping Others Bucket List.

But how can someone who isn’t necessarily a superstar or independently wealthy go about making a Child’s Wish come true? Good news, according to their website there are multiple ways to get involved with Make A Wish. But perhaps the easiest way for most of us is to simply donate! That is why we are very excited to learn about Omaze’s latest giveaway where you can Win a Miami Dream House!

Win a Miami Dream House

Of course, we all know it is better to give than receive. But let’s be honest, sometimes it is awesome to donate and win a great prize too! That is why the latest giveaway from Omaze is truly remarkable. When you enter the Win a Miami Dream House contest, you have the chance to win a 7 bedroom, 6 bathroom home in the Kendall neighborhood, just south of downtown Miami. Equipped with a backyard pool you can spend your days lounging. Plus, with its great location, you can also explore areas like Little Havana, Biscayne Bay, or the countless beaches along the coast.

How can someone help a Make-a-Wish child’s dream come true? Perhaps the easiest way is to simply to donate through Omaze’s latest giveaway where you can also Win a Miami Dream House! #Omaze #MakeAWish #MiamiDreamHouse
Click To Tweet

What if you already have your Dream Home?

Now we understand that some of you may already be living in your dream home. Maybe you won your Dream House in Austin, Texas. Don’t worry, because Omaze has a plan B if you win! Omaze offers you the option to choose a cash prize instead! Essentially, you become an instant millionaire with whichever option you go choose.

How does this Help Make A Wish?

This contest is special because 100% of donations raised by Omaze for this sweepstakes go to support Make A Wish.  When you Click Here to Enter To Win A Miami Dream House Or Cash Prize the donation you use to enter will help grant future wishes. For example, 9-year-old Khushi is currently battling cancer and it is her dream to become a princess. So, your donation will help her & countless other kids with critical illnesses fulfill life-changing wishes.

Where do I enter to WIN?

Are you wondering how to enter to win your Miami Dream House & help Make A Wish? Well, it is quite simple. All you have to do is Click Here to Enter To Win! Of course, you can enter without contributing anything. But for a minimum of $10.00, you can donate to Make A Wish and receive an additional 20 entries into the competition! Plus there are higher donation amounts that equal more entries to give you a better chance of winning. Just make sure your entries are received by December 18, 2021. The winner will be announced around January 5, 2022. Simply click the button below and go from there!

By the way, when you click on any of the links below & set up your donation for entries into the Miami Dream House Contest, make sure you also enter Promo code: AFF50 for 50 extra entries into any Omaze experience!

What Time is the Pool Party?

Is it on your bucket list to win this Miami Dream House? Or will you take the $1.8+ Million Dollar cash payout to chase other items on your bucket list? Either way, how good will it feel knowing that you were able to find a simple way to help others? If you do win, don’t forget to invite us over for your next house party! We will bring the daiquiris!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Favorite Bucket List Contest Board!

Disclosure: This post, “Win a Miami Dream House” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post Win a Miami Dream House & Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

Willie Nelson once said, “There’s a freedom you begin to feel the closer you get to Austin, Texas.”

Now, of course, he may be biased since he semi-retired and moved to Austin, Texas in 1972.  But there is no doubt that Austin is a booming city! Perhaps this is because it offers so much diversity, opportunity, and the overall quality of life for people of all ages. With an unbelievable music scene, amazing food, and a thriving tech market that is creating a booming economy it’s why it is easy to see why it was ranked #3 of the top 150 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report.

So, why aren’t we all setting up our dream home in Austin? Well, it may have to do with rising home prices within the Austin-area housing market! In 2020, alone, the price of your dream home in Austin probably rose by more than 10%. Yikes!

But what do you do if it is on your bucket list to buy an Austin dream home as Willie did? Well, for one lucky person, obtaining an Austin Dream home could be as easy as winning one.

Win This Austin Dream Home

Now, let’s talk about the prize cause if you made it this far then you must have owning a dream home in Austin on your bucket list! When you Enter To Win An Austin Dream House you enter for a chance to score a newly built 3,235-sq-ft urban oasis with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms in Austin’s upscale Travis Heights neighborhood. But the location isn’t the only great part about this Austin dream house! Inside, you will be greeted with high ceilings, hardwood floors, an open kitchen, a spacious living room, and a yard that will make your neighbors jealous!

With an amazing music scene, great food, & booming economy, it’s easy to see why living in Austin is enticing! So, if living in Austin is on your #bucketlist see how you could win a dream home! #AustinDreamHome #ContestAlert
Click To Tweet

What if you already have your Dream Home?

Look, we get it, maybe you are not ready to move to Austin. Or maybe you are not ready to own a major home yet. I mean the property taxes in Austin can range anywhere from 1.8%-3.3% of your home’s assessed value. But even though we strongly believe that buying a house should be on your financial bucket list, Omaze has a plan B if you win! 

If for some odd reason you decide to pass on the modern home built by Urban ATX but your name is drawn, don’t fret. Instead, Omaze offers you the option to choose a cash prize instead! Essentially, you become an instant millionaire with whichever option you go choose.

What’s the Catch?

Man, aren’t we a bunch of jaded humans. But we get it. When making a donation, even if there is a chance we could win a massive prize, we want to make sure it’s going to a worthy cause. That is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why we are Climbing Devil’s Tower for ALS! 

So, in doing our research we discovered that 100% of donations raised by Omaze for this sweepstakes go to support Folds of Honor.  When you Click Here to Enter To Win An Austin Dream House Or Cash Prize the donation you use to enter will help provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled service members.  

Where do I enter to WIN?

Step right up, step right up & be the next big WINNER! 

But in all seriousness, if you are ready to win a dream home in Austin, Texas, or cash out to become an instant millionaire all you have to do is Click Here to Enter To Win! But don’t lollygag because all entries must be received by October 10, 2021. The winner will be announced around October 27, 2021. Just click the button below and go from there!

By the way, when you click on any of the links below & set up your donation for entries into the Austin Dream House Contest, make sure you also enter Promo code: AFF50 for 50 extra entries into any Omaze experience!

What time is Dinner?

So is it on your bucket list to win this Austin Dream House? Or will you take the $1.3+ Million Dollar cash payout to chase other bucket list items on your list? Either way, if you win make sure you send us a nice Christmas present or at least invite us over for dinner? We will bring the wine!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Favorite Bucket List Contest Board!

Disclosure: This post, “Win a Dream Home in Austin, Texas” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post Win a Dream Home in Austin, Texas appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

It has been one month since I lost my mom, Lilian Madan Gamble.

I struggle to write this post for many reasons. Perhaps, it is because it doesn’t really feel like she is gone yet. Or perhaps, it is because I am not sure it is quite proper to share such a post on a Bucket List blog. But, after much consideration, I decided to share this to not only honor my mom but also to perhaps inspire others with her story.

Lili, my mother, lost a long a tough battle on March 13, 2020 and the past month has been a mixture of all kinds of feelings and struggles for me. I loved and still do love my mom as any son would! She was one of my biggest supporters of The Bucket List Project. She loved hearing all about Darcee and my adventures around the world. But, she especially loved it and rooted hardest, when we worked hard on our Helping Others Bucket List to help others fulfill their own bucket list dreams.

Because of her, I am the adventurer I am. She so loved seeing the world, trying new foods, and meeting new people herself.  It was one of her best traits that I personally am glad she instilled in me. She also loved seeing me personally grow and I only hope that I can become the man that she so longed me to be.

So with that said, I wanted to share the eulogy I gave my mom at her funeral mass with everyone. Hopefully, it can inspire everyone to learn to grow, love one another, and perhaps even find a bit of adventure in this short life we all have. I have never had to write a eulogy before, so please forgive me if it is a bit lacking. For a son to write a eulogy for his mom is a near impossible task that I don’t wish upon anyone. But if you will allow me, I wish to present it now to all of our family and friends.

A Son’s Eulogy For His Mom

On behalf of my Grandmother, Lilian Madan, my sister, Lilian Catherine “Lica”, my wife Darcee, and myself, Eric Rafael, I would like to first thank Fr Pineda, Fr O’Hare, and Fr. Whitestone (this was changed to Fr. Walsh & Fr. Rodriguez) and everyone who helped us prepare for this celebration of my mother, Lilian Madan Gamble. With all that is going on in the world, your thoughts, prayers, efforts, and love for my mother have meant the world to us.

I have never had to write a speech like this before, so please excuse me because I am not as elegant as some of my uncles nor as linguistically skilled as my wife or sister. So, in preparation for today, I essentially had to researched how to do this.

A Eulogy vs. An Elegy

In my research, I found that often people get confused during times like this between an Elegy and Eulogy. To be honest, I didn’t know the difference either. So, to clear things up, I channeled my inner Tio Rafael and dug deep into the origins of each word. Here is what I found:

An Elegy comes from the Greek root word Elegos which roughly translates to a Song of Mourning. While, a Eulogy is derived from two Greek root words, “EU” which means Good and “LOGOS” which means speech. Thus, when combined, Eulogy translates to a Speech of Good or a Song of Praise.

So, why does this matter today?

I bring this up because in the last year or so, people have approached me to discuss my mom’s state of life. Conversations about her were sometimes full of sorrow and remorse. Adjectives were used like, Tired, Weak, Frail, Sickly, and even Depressed. Now, of course, those people saying these adjectives not intending them to be hurtful. But, these kinds of words could easily lead our thoughts about her life toward regret or mourning.

And that isn’t how I wanted my mom remembered.

I wanted this speech…this service…this day to be a Eulogy to my mother! I want mine and every memory that each of us carry of her to be a true Song of Praise!

Lilian Madan Gamble, The Benevolent

Therefore, I am petitioning all of you to remember your Daughter, your Sister, your Tia, Your Mina, my mother with a different adjective. I petition her to be remembered as: Lilian the Benevolent.

Now for those who don’t have your dictionary handy, Benevolent is an adjective used to characterize someone who has the desire to help others by doing good in this world. Benevolent is synonymous with words like charitable, good, kind, gracious, helpful, and unselfish.

Now being her son, of course, I would praise my mother with an amazing word as benevolent. But to provide evidence to support my petition, I offer you the following examples:

• Lili gave Gifts with Intention

If you have ever been on vacation with us or to a Madan Family Christmas, you will recognize one of these bags! Poor Ali, Lica, and even Darcee have at one time been ”tortured” with the task of loading up bags like this for others on behalf of my mom. Often when receiving them, a person might see a random collection of bizarre trinkets and some were. But my mother didn’t see it like that. With these bags, she used whatever resources she had and tried to find items that matched something she thought you needed or could help you. For example, with her brother Ramon, she always insisted we overload your back with extra beef jerky and beef Slim Jims because in her mind she thought of you as strong! Thus, she wanted to make sure he had all that extra protein to keep you strong. And she tried her best to do that for everyone all the time. She always tried to give with intention even as silly as it seemed to us.

• Lili Gave us the Gift of her Faith

My mother, much like her own mother loved her faith. She often prayed for godchildren, her brothers and sisters, and anyone she could remember. To be honest, I probably gave her enough disasters in her life to fill her prayer intention card alone, but she always thought of who needed prayers and added them in as well. She worked hard to instill the faith in her children as well, and because of her efforts and prayers, I truly believe it helped both her and I find Darcee!

• Lili Gave her service as a Nurse to a countless number

In the first Epistle of Peter, chapter 4, verse 10 it reads, “As Each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s Grace”

My mother was given a skill for Nursing and thus used it to serve many people. For over 30 years, my mother was a registered nurse in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Virginia. She tended to the sick, the seriously injured, the elderly, the lost and forgotten, and even the dying. There was really no patient she wouldn’t help, and she would never say no to anyone in need of medical care. There are countless stories of her caring for the bedridden. She would often just take on the rolls of feeding them, cleaning them, or sometimes just tenderly holding them so they could feel connected again. This kind of gracious care can be seen in how she showed up and cared for her own father at the end of his life.

And Finally,

• Lili Gave the Gift of her time

My mother wasn’t the most mobile of people, so if you wanted to talk to her it was kind of easy to catch her. Now, I am sure there were times when she wished she could run away from us, especially if I or Franco decided to share one of our long-winded stories.

Now her absolute favorite thing to do, besides talking with her favorite child, Nico, was to just laugh with all of us! She had such a great laugh.

But to be honest, she loved hearing everyone’s stories! She loved sharing her time with each and everyone one of us. It brought her so much joy sitting with all of you to hear about your adventures, your travels, your dates, how your work was going, or what great things you were doing in the world! Perhaps, she did this because it allowed her to join you in your life. But I truly believe she did this so she could then offer you praise and support in your joys and dreams! It wasn’t uncommon after talking to one of you that she would call me to brag all about the new job you got, or the awesome party you threw, or even as simple as the recent accomplishments your beautiful children had just accomplished. It was how she praised and supported you!

Now I am sure there are a million more examples to support my petition to remember my mother as Lilian the Benevolent. And in the coming days, weeks, months, and years, I ask that you share your own Songs of Praise of her.

There are no words to describe how much I will miss my mother. I pray that she inspires me and all of us to be as gracious, charitable, helpful, unselfish and well Just benevolent as she was!

I wonder what she is putting in all of those bags she plans on giving away in Heaven?

Sadly, Life Goes On

Sadly, life never does stop after you lose a parent. It will never be the same for me and my sister. But, I know that we will always carry our mother deep within our hearts. Personally, I know she will forever join Darcee and me in all of our bucket list adventures. I am sure I will see her everywhere in life and hear her laugh whenever I do something absolutely crazy or goofy. During this time, I am so very lucky to have Darcee, my family, and all of our friends who have reached out to support us and offer their prayers and thoughts. She loved so greatly and hopefully, I was able to honor Lilian Madan Gamble with a simple eulogy from her son.

Lilian Madan Gamble was a big inspiration behind The Bucket List Project. See what she meant to us in her in a Son's Eulogy for his Mom. #Mom #ILoveMyMom #Eulogy #BucketList #PersonalGrowth
Click To Tweet

Please Consider Sharing this Pin this to your favorite Bucket List Board!

The post Lilian Madan Gamble – A Son’s Eulogy For His Mom appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

The world we’re in is a super hectic place. Even in the quieter areas of the world, there’s always something going on. It’s all necessary as we need the billions of inhabitants to all be working systematically in order to achieve a balance, but sometimes it can cause a little too much stress and worry. Pretty much every single society on the planet is fast-paced and if you stop or stutter through anything, you could be left behind. That doesn’t seem like a fair deal, does it?

It’s easy to become completely chewed up and spat out by this dog eat dog world, so we all need to have a cool, calm, and collected head from time to time. Some do it better than others, so it’s understandable that it might seem impossible, but we can all take steps to look at life with a less worrisome and more relaxed attitude. Let’s go through some stuff you can do that may ease that anxiety and allow you to take things a little easier.

Exercise

We’ll start with the simplest idea of the lot: getting your heart rate up a little from time to time. Not only is this a great hobby to have, but it also improves your life mentally somewhat. Your brain releases endorphins that make you feel positive about thoughts that you might otherwise stress over. You’ll benefit in the long term as you’ll be physically more adept and mentally more prepared for things.

There are many steps to look at life with less worry & a more relaxed attitude. Discover a few Personal Growth Ideas to ease anxiety & allow you to take things a little easier. #WaysToRelax #PersonalGrowth #SmellTheRoses
Click To Tweet

Less Of The Technology!

Putting the technology down for a while and just enjoying the situation you’re in now isn’t ease in 2019. We’re all glued to technology, unfortunately. If you can spend just a little while away from a social media platform, then you’ll be happier – trust this. Social media is great but it makes people very upset over the smallest, most pointless things!

We tend to rely on technology a lot, too. We base a lot of our lives around it. Perhaps you should take back a little more control of your life and stop being overly high-maintenance with your tech. Whether it’s worrying less about the security details on your smartphone, like multiple layers of protection (see here: https://setapp.com/how-to/turn-off-two-factor-authentication-for-apple-id) or whether it’s the need to capture everything you do on film for people to see. In this age, it’s easy to become obsessed with that stuff. It’s okay to go a while without it all.

Learn A New Skill

Keeping your mind occupied with something productive is a good way of cooling your mind during hectic times. You can get away from it all and focus on this new world. You may also be able to use it later on down the line. For example, learning a new language could open up endless opportunities occupationally and recreationally!

Gain Perspective

Life isn’t amazing all of the time, but you better believe you have a much better life than some. There are people, right now, that are going through unfathomable amounts of suffering. Whilst that’s a horrible thought in itself, all you can do is live your life where you are. Recognize that it really could be worse and be thankful that your problems aren’t anywhere near as bad.

Try Not To Sweat The Small Stuff

We all do it. An awkward conversation or a silly mistake in public. We look at something we’ve done and crawl into a ball thinking about it. The fact that we all do it should make you realize that it’s not actually a problem. Cringing isn’t great, but you should own the cringe a little bit. Then find a way to make amends and get on with your productive life!

So what things do you do to help you ease your mind in this hectic world? Is it on your Personal Bucket List to find ways to reduce stress in your life? Let us know some of the best ways you have found to enjoy the amazing world in the comments below!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your favorite Personal Growth Bucket List Board!

The post Things You Can Do To Ease Your Mind Amid This Hectic World appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

Editor’s Note: The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a Little Luck was originally published May 2016 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

When I was creating my Bucket List Project several years ago, I remember being able to bang out 80+ things in the initial writing of my list in that old composite notebook. It came easy to put down travel, adventure, and even personal growth items on my list! But when I went to read what I had written down, almost off of them were about me! This kind of disturbed me a little cause I was raised to always help others whenever a situation presented itself. So I thought that I needed to make sure that I created a part of my bucket list devoted to trying to give back to the world or offering help to those who may need a little bit, hence The Helping Others List.

Now anyone could put “FIND THE CURE TO CANCER!” or even a bit more sensible, “#7) Do Missionary Work in a 3rd World Country” on their list like I did. But then I came across a quote that inspired me:

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa

Can you image, Mother Teresa admitting that? I mean she must have cared for more sick and helpless people in Calcutta than I can even imagine. But I stopped. I realized that it even if I cant do something major (like toss a boulder) then maybe I can manage small. Maybe, a little genuine project could be my little stones to cast! Right?

Therefore, I started dreaming of creative little ways to help, say thank you, or just give back to the world! Now this The Helping Others List is a work in progress but its hands down one of my favorite parts of my overall Bucket List Project because it allows me to come up with creative ways to accomplish the main goal of this category like:

141) Find a Leaf Clovers & Give it away to Someone Who Needs Luck!

Why Share a 4 Leaf Clover with Someone?

So why would anyone need a 4 Leaf Clover? How does that Help others & make ripples in waters of life?

Well sometimes we hit a bump in the road. We may pray for improvement & hope for a bit of Luck to carry us out of a storm! So my thought was that these 4 Leaf Clovers, I had found would hopefully assist people who needed some hope. It may or may not actually be Lucky but to me, they are Symbols that someone out there is rooting for, praying for, & Loves you!

Now according to lore, they Say that each of the 4 Leaves of a Clover stands for Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck! So whichever of the 4 someone needed (perhaps all 4), my hope was they got them!

Then when they had come to their Lucky Place, my hope was that they would “Gift” the 4 Leaf Clover to someone who truly needs it & if Possible, let me know where it is

A few years back, The Bucket List Project found SIX 4-Leaf Clovers in New Orleans! Of course it was hard but what they did with them was so EASY that even you can do it! Find out how you can Share a Little Luck with others!
Click To Tweet

How to find a Four Leaf Clover

So is finding a 4 leaf clover totally dumb luck? I mean we all hear the stories of 4 leaf clovers but has anyone actually seen even 1 in person? I mean tradition holds that if you find a white clover that has four leaves, you are lucky. So am I trying to force the impossible? The answer is and was for me, not if you believe you can find them and then a little research.

In doing our research, we found that just 1 out of every 10,000 white clovers has four-leaves. If the odds of finding a four-leaf clover are truly 1-in-10,000, how much area do you need for 10,000 clovers and where do you find those patches? Well in New Orleans, after a little research, good weather, and “Luck”, I found four leaf clovers in two separate places!

The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a little Luck

So, as you can see, between the 2 areas, I was lucky enough to find six actual 4 Leaf Clovers (3 in each area).

Awesome, right?!?!

After bringing these 6 shamrocks home, it was time to create some magic! I went online and found these 3.5×5 Rustic Distressed Wooden table top frames from Amazon so that I could display them.  I wrote special notes for each frame discussing where I had found this specific 4 leaf clover, the idea behind our project to share a little luck, and what my hopes where with these special shamrocks.

But then the hard part came. Who out there needed me to send them this token of Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck?

To be honest, I struggled at first to figure out the who and the why! This was strange because I didn’t have issues like this when I was putting together my Wizard of Oz Dinner idea! I mean, like the famous Wizard said in the book, “I’m a very good man (At least I try to be). I’m just a very bad Wizard.” 

So I sat down and thought and tried to discover the inspiration behind these specific 4 leaf clovers. Perhaps where they were found could help me find the right people! 

The 4 Leaf Clovers of Hope

Now, with the two 4 Leaf Clovers I found by Flood St & Dorgenois St in New Orleans, I realized that they were coming up in vacant lots where homes were destroyed by the levee breach from Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. To me, these lucky little shamrocks reminded me that despite unbelievable devastation, life would find a way to bring beauty back! Therefore, I felt that these 4 leaf clovers embodied a spirit of Rebirth, Regrowth, & Renewal! So, I needed to send these 2 clovers with their story to someone who needed a 2nd chance!

The 4 Leaf Clovers of Strength

Next I found two 4 leaf clovers in Audubon Park next to the Famous Etienne de Boré Oak, or the Tree of Life. But for some reason these clovers gave me a different motive. See, the Tree Of Life is a famous oak tree here in New Orleans, that’s nearly 400 years old. It has seen New Orleans through its greatest and worst times yet still continues to Stand Strong and Grow! But to Celtic People, the Tree Of Life represents Wisdom, Longevity, & most of all, Strength!  So, I felt that these 2 needed to go out to people who were searching for strength.

So with these inspirations in mind, I went on a mission to find these 4 leaf clovers a home. It was a bit weird asking for people in pain or were just needing a bit of luck. But with a little effort, we gave away the last of my 4 frames in the Summer of 2015.

Perhaps these very, small “stones” that were cast across the waters can create many ripples.

Have you ever found a four leaf clover before? Do you feel that they are lucky? Would you be willing to share them with someone else who needs it more than you? Or More importantly, what Ways to Help Others do you have on your own Bucket List? Let us know in the comments below & perhaps inspire someone to make a small ripple today!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, “The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a little Luck” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post The 4 Leaf Clover Project: Sharing a little Luck appeared first on The Bucket List Project.