Asbestos Awareness Week April 1-7

I learned today from a comment left on my blog that this is Asbestos Awareness Week.  My new friend Heather asked me to share her story and even sent me some awesome pictures to share as well. 

A Mother' and daughter's love!

Please take a few minutes to learn about the dangers of Asbestos and follow the links in the article and share the message with your friends and family on Twitter, on Facebook, wherever you can.  

Every year 3,000 people are diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by exposure to Asbestos. 

On average these people are given 10 months to live, 300 days, 7,200 hours. 

Imagine what might be possible if 7,200 people shared this message, used their voices to raise awareness, sharing a simple message that could save a life.

Make your actions echo so loudly that no one will be able to hear your words.  Heather beat the odds, will you be a voice so others can as well?

"Remember: From awareness grows hope. Each voice could save a life."~Heather Von St. James

Cameron, Lily and Heather 

Will you commit to being one of the 7,200 voices this week?

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Possibility 5K

"I dwell in possibility"~Emily Dickinson

On Sunday July 22, Colorado Youth at risk dedicated the 2012 Possibility 5K to the  Possibility of ending violence in our community.  


You can learn more about Colorado Youth at Risk by clicking here. 

My wife gave this event life.  It is her vision to raise awareness for this agency and attract new mentors to this program.

Sue and I have both mentored young people for Colorado Youth at Risk.  Sue is a super volunteer for Colorado Youth at Risk.  She has worn many different hats as a mentor, a small group leader and a community coach.  She has such a passion for the young people that she is serves.

One of the things that we both saw as a possibility for Colorado Youth at Risk was to be able to introduce CYAR to the running community.

Runners know what it means to show up for a race, for their training partners, for their community.

A friend of ours is a new runner was looking for 5K races to run.  She found our race on the Active.Com website and chose the Possibility 5K because she has a heart for working with young people.

She went to a creating promise tour meeting to learn more about becoming a mentor.  She made the commitment to mentor a young person for the next program that will start in the fall.

Sue and I are thrilled beyond words because this is exactly what we thought could be possible with this event.

Our friend wore this on front of her race shirt to honor those we lost during the latest violence in our community.  I know she will be an awesome mentor.

Runners do whatever it takes to get to the finish line.  The might  even pick someone up along the way!

"It rocks you hard, but you have to take a step back, look at all of these horrible things that have happened lately and choose to make a difference."Sam Granillo, Columbine High school survivor. 


What will you choose to make a difference?  What possibility will be born from your choice? 

Denver Bronco Junior Cheerleaders!

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Who is your light saber?

Do you have a Jedi knight in your life?  

Who carries a light saber for you? 

In the Star Wars trilogy there is much talk about the power of the force, especially the dark side.  

What does the light saber symbolize?   

To me it represents power.   Light side Jedi knights use their power to help others.   The light saber is used to defend, not to attack.  It is only used for good.

“You can’t win, Darth. Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”~ Obi Wan Kenobi

This is my favorite line from any of the Star Wars movies.  I replace the word Darth, with cancer. That is my message to cancer, from Kelly.  Cancer never wins.  Kelly's life is so powerful....

In an epic battle between good and evil, a lightsaber climax ensues between Darth Vader, and his former teacher.  Obi Wan understood the power of the force and  illustrates the inherent weakness of the dark side of the force, that in using it for evil, they fail to see its true power.

When I first talked to Cassandra about running as a woman of the year candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I gave her a blood cancer freedom fighter rock that was left over from when Laura and I ran the Paris marathon for Kelly. 

The word on the back of the rock was "powerful".  I asked Cassie to pick up her light saber, to be a global voice for a world without blood cancers.  I knew she would be a powerful advocate for this cause. 

Inspiring messages from the Rock Fairy

I have no doubt that Cassandra would use her light saber to protect and defend Taylor and Jack, the girl and boy of the year for  the Rocky Mountain chapter. 

Taylor, Cassandra, and Jack at the grand finale. 

And for the last ten weeks of her campaign and in the weeks leading up to it that is exactly what she has done.  She has stood for the possibility of a world without blood cancers, a world for Taylor and Jack to live in. 

She has used her light saber to defend Taylor and Jack against the evil and unrelenting nature of cancer. 

The dark side of of cancer will attempt to discourage those that take up the fight. 

I think this would be Cassandra's message to cancer as she begins a new chapter in her life as a blood cancer freedom fighter.  

"Never. I'll never turn to the dark side.  I'll never give up. You've failed.  I am a Jedi, like the freedom fighters before me.

2011 Woman of the Year candidate, Catherine(16,far left) with Cassandra

Never Ever Give Up!

My message to Cassandra is one of heartfelt gratitude for honoring the possibility that we can live in a world without blood cancer, that we can all make a difference for one another. 

Thank you for being my  light saber, for becoming a powerful ally in the fight against blood cancers. 

Thank you for your friendship, for your support, for being a stand for my life. 

For me, you will forever be the 2012 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year.

My Woman of the Year!!!

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Verb Tribe writing class

Creating a sustainable writing practice

I signed up for an on-line writing class for the next 37 days.

I am really excited to see if I can create a sustainable writing practice over the next 37 days.

Day 1 is in the books.

Let's see where this takes me.

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