For the past hour I have sat at my computer, looking through archives for the day we released balloons. I cannot find..and my search engine irritates me today.
I will never forget that cold, cloudy day when Mike showed up with a gigantic box. GIGANTIC box that was light as a feather.
With instructions given by Jami and a note from the Matilda Jane girls, the kids unwrapped a bit of magic as brightly colored balloons floated out of the box and into the air.
The card, something I will have forever, clutched in my hand as the kids squealed with delight.
It was the first time in a long time I saw sparkle in their eyes.
Or what about all the blog posts that rambled as I sat on top of my kitchen island, blogging into cyber space, as my world crashed around me? I looked through those this morning, too, and accidentally finding comments from Wayne about this and that. I stare at the dates of his comments, mentally figuring out how many days from then he died. Why I do that to myself, I will never know.
And Jami & Denise (Mrs. Matilda Jane) swoop in with an auction – funded by some of the most amazing companies and photographers in the world – to carry me and kids through until I could figure out how to pay the mortgage. Literally. The bills kept rolling in and no longer with any sort of income, I have no idea what I would have done in the early months following his death. I was scared and paralyzed and could not hold a thought or form a plan or take care of my kids or myself. So they took care of us.
And I tell you this because you need to believe me.
(Or what about the time they donated Chelsa and Claire Bear dresses and hats to the Tiny Sparrow Foundation? I could go and an on and on … Read about it here.)
Matilda Jane (and all our friends!) do SO MUCH GOOD.
How in the world I could be a part of such caring, SMART, beautiful, giving, encouraging women is beyond me. And a blessing that truly changed my life.
Changed how I saw and LIVED my life.
They showed up. And when you are living in a nightmare, you don’t have the energy to even care if you need something. But they cared. And they knew what I needed. Money (and Jami’s Mexican food).
And here we are again.
Chelsa. Sweet amazing Chelsa who I was lucky enough to friend many years ago (while both her and Wayne battled cancer) … she finds the same women and the same amazing Company rallying around her as she figures out how to battle cancer that has spread through her body and how to deal with it while looking at her 2 small kids and her husband, Dan. They are looking back at her. We’ve got this, Chelsa. Blink.
So much easier said than done when …
You blink and the the medical bills make you freeze again. Keep you up at night.
And it’s the other stuff, like paying for airfare and babysitters and lost wages and medication as chemo overtakes you … and you watch your bank account bleed.
So we know what she needs. And that’s why the Trunk Keepers are donating their profits to fund Chelsa. If you were looking for something to buy for portraits for the holidays, or to have something special to wear to a holiday party or outing, now is the time to do it, because your money gets you beautiful clothing and it also gets Chelsa’s family much needed relief.
Here how it works:
Read what is happening here: Sweetest Day
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