Thank Heaven for my little girl

Dear Laura,

Twenty five years ago today, you came into our lives.

A day much like today.  Blue skies.

I played 9 holes of golf with my Dad that morning.

Today I went for a run not far from where I played golf that morning.

Your mommy and I were at the medical center this morning where you were born.  Strange, somewhat similar and so much has changed.

We live in the same house that we did when you were born.

Mommy and I lived with there with our dog Erin and our cat Shasta.  She was a friendly kitty.  Imagine that.

Today we had lunch at East Cafe, a birthday cake at home with 25 candles.

You blew them all out with ease.

23 years ago, we lit the candles over and over again and sang Happy Birthday to you.  You would blow out the candles, clap your hand and say "Do again."

So we did.

Many times.

Memories of that moment, etched into my mind forever.

Adam graduated from high school when you turned 21.

Reenacting the FAU Tipsy Table :)

You actually ran a 5K on your birthday when you were 23.  Yes, you did!  I looked it up.

Thank goodness, Vicki tricked you into running your first Bolder Boulder the year before.

Two years later we ran a marathon in Paris together.

I have lost track of all of the 5K's we have run together and each one is a special memory.

Swim meets beginning at the Aurora YMCA.  Who knew what that that first summer of swimming would bring to your life?

So many high school and MACS swim meets.  Hours spent at the pool to watch you compete for 1 to 2 minutes.

Holding my breath watching you race against the clock to get your sectional qualifying times.

I can't swim 15 yards of butterfly.  You could slice through the water, looking so fluid and powerful.  Wow, what a pair of shoulders you had.

I remember riding our bikes all the way past the Paul Beck Center when you were a little girl.  We rode over 20 miles that day.  You always were a distance athlete.

Now I can't keep up with you on the bike.

Do you remember your first Bronco game?   I think it was in 1994 or 1995 against the Atlanta Falcons. Would anyone be surprised to know you wore a pink coat to the game?

We have gone to Yoga classes together.

We watched Kelly graduate from high school together.

It has been seven years since you graduated from high school.  Almost seven years since sob fest of 2005.

Seven years since you ran a 5K in San Francisco in the only flat spot in the city and couldn't walk the next day.

We watched this movie the night before you left for your freshman year in college. We used to joke about this line from the movie, "you have a daughter?"  Well we thought it was funny.  I think you would roll your eyes.

Thank heaven for little girls
Thank heaven for them all
No matter where
No matter who
Without them
What would  little boys  their daddy's do?

I am so proud of the person you are and have always been.  I am blessed that you are my daughter as well as my friend.

I love you.

Happy Birthday on your special day.  Now no jumping from moving objects this year :)  K?  K!!!

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28 Days of Love: Day 28

Thursday night, I had the honor of attending a  Colorado Youth at Risk shareholder meeting with Sue.  

The volunteer work that Sue does for this organization is something she feels incredibly passionate about. She is leading up the effort to recruit 90 mentors for the new launch courses in April for George Washington High School and Aurora Central High School.

She has made a huge difference in the lives of the young girls she has mentored. Both Juli and Vanessa graduated from high school. Juli in 2008 and Vanessa in 2009. Vanessa is a recipient of the Daniels Fund scholarship program and currently has a 4.0 grade point average.

Juli and Sue

I was thrilled to see Sue receive an award at this meeting in recognition of her time, treasure and talent she brings to these young people and this organization.

Sue loves what  she does, loves the young people she continues to stand for and inspires me every day as she makes a difference in the community we live in.

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” Martin Luther King

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28 Days of Love: Day 26

I was honored to do a guest post for a column called 10 things that make me happy for one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Ripple Effect.

It sounded like a fun thing to do, so I wrote to Carolyn and told her I would like to participate.  I was thrilled, excited and then scared to death when I got selected.

Try it.  It is fun.  What things make you happy?

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28 Days of Love: Day 24

The Pastor of our church sent this out today asking for help to pay for medical and funeral expenses for Justine Freelong.

I have two requests to make for anyone that is reading this.

1. Consider making a small donation. The family really needs some financial assistance.

2. Please repost this on your blog if you would be comfortable doing so.

The family is in great need of some financial resources to pay for the medical and funeral expenses and a memorial fund has been set up in Justine's honor at:

Fitzsimons Federal Credit Union‪
c/o Shannon Poole – Justine Memorial fund‪
phone 303 340 3343‪
2201 N Fitzsimons‪Aurora Co 80045‪‪

Shannon Poole is Jesse, Julie and Justine's mother. If you are able to help in any way financially it would be greatly appreciated.

Light and Love...

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28 Days of Love: Day 21

Today there was a baptism ceremony for three members of the church that Sue and I attend.

It is rather unusual as the church we attend is at a movie theatre so there isn't a permanent place to have a ceremony. 

The baptism ceremony was at an apartment complex that had an outdoor hot tub. 

There was some light snow falling during the baptism and it was kind of a neat experience with it being outside in the snow.

Sue's friend, Juli and her brother Jesse were baptized today after church. 

Two hours after they were baptized their sister Justine(21 years old) passed away after being in the hospital for almost two weeks.

While it is sad to think of them losing their sister on a day when they committed themselves to Jesus, it is also neat that they made that choice on the day that Justine entered into eternal life.

The message at church today was don't just go to church, but to be the church.   I hope that our church will take that message to heart and rally around Juli and her family.

We are reminded that every day with our children and family is a gift.

Be sure and tell the people you love that you love them. Don't wait till tomorrow.

Light and Love x 21 x forever...

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28 Days of Love: Day 19

This afternoon at work there was a special guest that spoke at our cafeteria, Wyclef Jean.

I know very little about his music. Apparently he is quite famous in the music world.

He was very personable, funny, and inspirational during his appearance.

A couple of things stood out for me:

Wyclef was on the ground in Haiti, twelve hours after the earthquake. He was pulling people from the rubble, most had perished. 400,000 people dead.

The money that the United States sent over to the people in Haiti provided hope that they mattered.

He did pull one survivor out of the rubble of a car.

"We continue to lose people. We have to decide what we are standing for and if what we stand for matters and if it makes a difference".

Tonight the sister of Sue's first mentee(Juli) with Colorado Youth at Risk is running a fever of 106 degrees. She has been on life support for over 10 days.

I don't know if Justine is going to make it. I would ask that anyone that is reading this to please pray for Justine's healing and also pray for Juli and her family to find peace at this time.

Light and Love x 21 for Justine...

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28 Days of Love: Day 14

I have not been a good blogger the last week.

I found a link to a wonderful post from my friend Katye about being your own valentine.  Please check it out by clicking here.    All I can say about what Tricia has done for herself is WOW!

Things I love about ME:


I LOVE that I am relentless in my efforts to provide support and hope to everyone that is touched by cancer.

I LOVE that I am open to new possibilities in my life.

I LOVE that I am Kelly's runner!

I LOVE knowing I'm making a difference.


What do you LOVE about yourself?

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.” -Helen Keller

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28 Days of Love: Day 6

"The word courage comes from the French coeur, meaning heart. We need great courage (heart) to give.

 Service is not for the faint of heart.

Giving is the easiest, most difficult thing you'll ever do". -John-Roger with Paul Kaye

(From: Serving & Giving, Gateways to Higher Consciousness)

What are you doing to be of service to others? 

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28 Days of Love: Day 5

I got a text message tonight from a dear friend of mine in California.
She had some news that she wanted to write about on her blog.

She didn't want me to find out that way.  She wanted me to know that she was okay, she wasn't freaking out and I shouldn't either.

I read her message while I was changing my clothes to go workout at 10:30 tonight.  I sat down on the bench, stunned.  I felt like crying.

We became friends through Kelly and Laiken.  They are our connectors.

I am sure my friend will be okay.  A little thing called cancer will not stop her.

Be intentional with the people in your life that you love.  Don't wait to tell them they are important to you.

Choose love.

Light, Love, Courage, Zen, Yoga and hugs...

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28 Days of Love: Day 4

I read a wonderful post this morning from my friend Christine at Train, Don't Tri and I thought it fit in so well with 28 Days of love. 

There is really a wonderful message that she shares and her husband gives her a fantastic acknowledgement. 

"To me, you are more beautiful than you ever were. Because, my heart is tied to your heart"

WOW!  I was so inspired by what she shared.  I thought about this all day.  My heart is tied to your heart.

Every time I thought about that it made me smile.

Please click here to read the entire post.

Thanks Christine!

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28 Days of Love: Day 3

Thought for the day:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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28 Days of Love: Day 2

Thought for the day;

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.


Mother Teresa

What gift will you give to others?

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28 Days of Love: Day 1

I saw on Facebook this morning that my friends from 30 days of Thanks and 31 Days of Wishes have started a new series this month called 28 Days of Love.

Please check it out and join in the fun of spreading love in your life and in the world.

I went to a Team in Training information meeting tonight to honor my love for Kelly, for Laiken, for Brittany and  for so many people that I love who have had their lives touched by cancer. 

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love".-Mother Teresa.

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