Kelly, Abby and Eeyore

Relay for Life is this Friday in Cut Bank, Montana.  Kelly's Aunt Linda made this luminary for me for the event this week.

Aunt Linda sent me this to me yesterday, oh how my heart soared and ached when I saw Kelly.

It has been over five years since Kelly passed.  I still miss her every day.

I am forever grateful for the nine years I was able to run for her, to spend time with her, to be inspired by who she was for me.

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Aurora, one year later

One year ago today, those of us living in Aurora Colorado work up to find the community we live in changed forever.  The anguish once again too familiar and this time it was so close to home.

Twelve people lost their lives that night because they bought a ticket and fate brought them to the wrong theater where a lunatic lay in wait.

Let us forever remember the 12 lives that were lost that night at Century theater.

Johnathan Blunk
A.J Boik
Jess Childress
Gordon W. Cowden
Jessica Ghawi

Jessica Redfield Ghawi memorial

John Larimer
Matt McQuinn
Micalya Medek
Veronica Moser-Sullivan
Alex Sullivan
Alex Teves
Rebecca Ann Wingo

My son Adam could have been in the theater that night.  For some reason he decided to attend the premier of the Batman movie with a different group of friends, 15 miles from his home rather than Century 16 which was 2 miles from home.  I shudder every time I think about that.  Was it a nudge from his guardian angel that steered him away from Century 16 that night?

In the year that has passed since that horrible night what has changed in the community, in our country?

The Century 16 theater reopened in November.  People didn't stop going to the movies.

We watched in horror of another mass shooting in Newton, Connecticut where twenty-six lives were lost at an elementary school.

Again the politicians stepped forward for a moment to capitalize on this tragedy only to recede quickly into the woodwork,  lacking the courage to take a stand. The NRA said the answer to the problem was to have more guns.

No substantive changes have been made and I fear that none ever will.  It is a complex problem and doing nothing leaves an open invitation for another mass shooting to occur.

The shooter has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.  It took an entire year to get to this point.

For me, it took a mass shooting to occur a mile or so from where I raised my family to get me to donate blood for the first time in my life.  I now go on a regular basis, every 6 weeks.  It is such a simple thing to do.  Everyone can do it and I encourage anyone that is reading this to find your local blood bank and become a blood donor.  You can do something meaningful for you community every six weeks.

My son and his co-host went on the air one year ago tonight on Mile High Sports and held an open forum about the shootings to begin the healing process.  There was no talk about sports that night.

Denver Sports Nation partnered with 5280 Shirt Shop to raise money for victims and families of the Aurora shooting.

I met one of the survivors, Jasmine Kennedy at a fund raiser at a local bowling alley. Her leg had been shattered by a bullet and she faced a long road of rehabilitation. Undeterred she bowled that day from a wheelchair, smiling, laughing and providing inspiration to her community with her positive attitude.

Jasmine Kennedy, Thumbs Up!

Eugene Han and Kristin Davis were both in the theater during the shooting and decided to get married today as a way of moving forward, claiming a better day.

So a year later our community is still healing.  We watch and wait and hope there will not be another senseless tragedy in any community.

We are Aurora!

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That's just Potts

I went to the funeral of my dear friend, Parenthia(Potts) Jones yesterday.

I was delighted to see that the service was (SRO), standing room only.  It seemed only fitting that her last race would be a sellout.

SRO for Potts!

A couple of things stood out for me at the service.

A co-worker told a story of the three words that described Potts to him.

If she was doing something unorthodox, he would say "That's just Potts."

If she was doing something that was inspirational, he would say, "That's just Potts."

Creigh Kelly, had been friends with Potts for three decades.  Years ago, she told him that "Martin Luther King had a dream, and so do I."  Her dream was to help people and she did in countless ways.

A mother told a story of how her son had gotten into trouble when he was 17 and had to perform many hours of community service.  She reached out to Potts and asked her if she would work with his son.

Her son was 6' 2" and Potts on her best day in 4 inch heels might have been 5' 0".  She put him to work polishing the brass handrails at the courthouse.

Fast forward 12 years and the mother of this young man visited Potts at hospice she was staying at and she found out that hours earlier her son had come to visit Potts.  That was the kind of impact she had on everyone she met.

One of my favorite memories of Potts is how she threw together "A day to remember 5K", one month after 9-11 to give us a chance to honor those who had been lost on that awful day and to celebrate our country.  My son Adam was 12 years old at the time and Potts told him to register in the running wave for his age group as she knew if he entered in that division he would get a medal.   She always, always put other people first.  That's just Potts!

Love you Potts, I will so miss you.

Happy trails!

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Wordless Wednesday

In Loving Memory, Parenthia(Potts) Jones

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TGIF(Trust-Gratitude-Inspiration-Friday)

We went to the Colorado Rapids game last night with my soon to be son-in-law, Chris and my family. 

I saw this tweet from Chris that he had posted earlier during the day and I thought this was a wonderful intention that we could use not just on the 4th of July, but any day. 

Before the game started Chris, Laura and Adam set up shop giving away red, white and blue beads to the fans arriving for the game.  They were giving the beads away for free to anyone that wanted them and they asked for people to make an optional donation to the fire fighter relief fund that is being managed by the Red Cross.  By the time we headed into the game, they had collected $225.00 for the relief fund.  

Unfortunately, our state has numerous wildfires that are raging across the state.  Last week 19 firefighters lost their lives in Arizona fighting a wildfire.  This was the greatest loss of life of firefighter's since September, 11, 2001. 

This is a cause that matters greatly to Chris.  Chris and Laura are getting married next week and they have set up a special charity registry where all of the money that is raised will be donated  to the Red Cross. 

Please click here if you would like to make a donation to the Red Cross and support the efforts of the firefighter's and provide needed assistance to the families that have been displaced by these terrible fires. 

I am so grateful to Chris and Laura for thinking of others, to cast a beautiful ripple effect in wake of this ongoing tragedy. 

So get out there and make a difference, inspire someone! 

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