Getting Ready for Palm Sunday...

We are singing our Easter Cantata this Sunday. I have been practicing and I will try to have someone record it on my camera (I hope). We have a very small choir so we'll see how it goes. I feel a little better today. I managed to get all the way through the cantata without crying. It has been wonderful therapy for me to have all these songs of hope and faith running through my head non-stop through this very hard week.

I am setting up a team to walk in a 5K fun run/walk on Sept. 15th 2007. I need at least 10 people to help me on my team. It is $20 a person but every $ goes to Heros for Children. Which helps with financial requests from families of children with cancer. They have a link on my page and Brandon is the baby on the front.

It helps me to feel less helpless when I am involved in something that makes a difference. I am forming TEAM CHUNK-A-LICIOUS, in honor of Brandon Heather, my favorite little superboy!

Wish me luck Sunday! We have to sing one practice and 2 performances so it really takes a toll on the throat.

Thank you Dad for taking the time to write your reps. and senators. It really means a lot to me!
You are awesome!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAYNE!!!!!
I am so sorry we could not be there to help you celebrate...and the kids both had games that got rained out so the whole weekend is crazy already.
I have pictures of Darlene's friend Ellen from TWU. I will upload it as soon as my battery is charged. I was hoping it would help her remember her. I know that she really enjoyed Ellen's company at the ALA convention.

A balloon for Matty Dubuc and a call for action.

We released a spongebob balloon in honor of Matty this morning. It stopped raining just long enough to open up this beautiful sky for us to send our message to angel Matty.

Johnny helped me get the balloon ready.

Here is Johnny watching it fly into the sky.

Here is a way you can help too!

There is a bill in both houses called the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2007 (H.R. 1553 and S. 911). More than 12,500 children will be diagnosed with cancer this year and more than 2,000 will die. These bills will authorize $30 million dollars every year for 5 years for biomedical research in pediatric cancer. Please take a few minutes and write to your senators and representative. Go to http://capwiz.com/curesearch/home and click in the Action Alert box. Enter your zip code and a form comes up, already addressed to your senators, with a letter already written that you can customize if you desire, then click on send. It's as easy as that.

Check out one of my new links - heros for children - It is a blog for an organization that helps families of children with cancer. Brandon is the baby on the top of the front page.

the strangest days....

I am heartbroken for the loss of such a wonderful, sweet little boy. I have not been able to stop crying since Sunday's news. As a parent I can not even imagine the pain of losing a child.

One of my main concerns right now is that my best friend is faceing the pain and fear as a mother of a child with cancer. I want to be able to support her in any way I can. Next week is going to be a busy one with her trip to Houston to meet the new team of doctors that will be taking care of Brandon. A liver transplant is going to save his life. I have every faith that although it will not be an easy road ahead that it leads to a happy healthy recovery.

Raquel's family is facing a some difficult decisions in the coming weeks reguarding the treatment of her optic tumor.

I was thrilled to hear that Heather is going to be participating in the local relay for life cancer fund raiser. I know that with all the treatments that are being discovered that a cure is not that far away. We must do something to help stop this disease that takes the lives of so many loved ones.

A new faith for a new day...

I have been asking people to join me in praying for several children with cancer. One of these children, Matty, passed away gently and peacefully last night. His story and that of his family is an amazing journey of faith and how we should live our lives as parents and as people. They have restored my faith in a good and loving God. I would ask that anyone who would like to sponser Sandy's walk in June, do so. This will be hard for her, since it will be the first fundraising walk she does alone and without her precious son. Matty's page can be found at this link.
http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=matty

I have been in a state of low burning anger ever since Don lost his battle to cancer. I had seen miracles happen to others and I never once had a moment of doubt that Don would be healed also and that we would have many happy years with him. For some reason I was thinking of miracles in terms of people deserving them. Don was one of the greatest men I had ever known and if anyone ever deserved a miracle it was him. When I saw Fran at church on Tarah's birthday I told her of my conflict and she told me, "but Ginger, he was healed." He was a strong and proud man who would not easily show his pain but it was there. He fought a great fight and deserved to take his place with God.

I forgot the simple truth, that we all die. I still have no anwers as to why some people are taken young and others pass on of wonderful old age. I learned a lesson that began with Don's couarge and was helped along by Fran's faith. Matty and his family brought home that lesson for me. The lesson is this. We all die and it is not that death that defines us but what we do with the time we are given. We must do our best to show Love. To our familes, friends and to those whose lives we come into contact with for what ever reason. I only hope that when I am gone that those around me can say that I loved everyone as much as I could, that I used each chance I had to make this world a better place for those around me. I have known more joy than most people ever do and I only know that because I have known the depths of pain that destroys lives. I have been to the abyss and been given a second chance at life. I would not trade one single day of my life, for it is the good and the bad that make me who I am.

I have always been a shy person and when church opens service and people are called to greet each other in love, I wanted to crawl under a chair. It actually used to prevent me from wanting to go to church. Now it is my favorite part. I have learned from those around me what it really means to share God's love. I can say with a full heart that I love people in a way I was never able to before. When I tell someone in a service that Jesus loves you and so do I, I mean it with my entire being.

My prayer tonight is for those in pain to feel peace and love. Thank you to everyone who gave me back my faith with the example of their lives. I only hope that my life will bring hope or joy to those around me.

Johnny and Kevin build Tarah a softball net thing....

Johnny helped unload all the parts and then took the plastic off of them.

Someone has to read the instructions.......

Johnny as the supervisor!

Tarah is working on being a pitcher this year. Hopefully this will help her out and protect our windows and fence! She loves softball and has several of her best friends on the same team. It should be a fun year. I bought a large canopy for anyone who wants to come watch a game or two.

Picture from the zoo!

Johnny, Ashley and Christoph ham it up for the camera!

Christoph had a great time and loved the train ride.

Alex and her fun otter friends....

The kids had a "hands on fun" time with a stingray.....

until it leaped out of the water and scared the ..... out of all three of them!


to think that last year Johnny was too afraid to go near this alligator...


the train was a great place to take a break

I am so proud of how great the kids were. It was a fun day full of smiles.

Meghan was pretty much just along for the ride...but all the neat sounds and sights must have had her little brain working overtime.

What a wonderful day....

I took all of the kids to the Fort Worth zoo today. It rained all the way there and then it was perfect all day. I am so proud of all 5 of the kids. They were so well behaved. I have some cute pictures that I will download tomorrow. I am exhausted. We walked the whole zoo. Even Johnny and Meghan were happy and having fun (even nap deprived)!

Christoph and Ashley helped with Johnny and Alex helped me with Meghan. The double stroller we bought when Meghan was born was a life saver. Johnny got to ride so stayed happy and I didn't havce to carry any one!!!

Just some of the highlights.....We saw bats and bugs and snakes.....rode the train a couple of times. Ate lunch in the air conditioning......then we saw lions and tigers and bears! Crocs and otters and touched a sting ray that jumped up out of the water....

I was worried that spring time would mean lots of embarrassing mating going on but all we got to see was a bunch of really large animals peeing and pooping in what seemed to be "our direction".

I thank God for such a wonderful day with my children and my wonderful nephew and nieces.
I am having such a struggle with my faith right now so I really needed a day like this to cheer me up.

keep an eye out for pics tomorrow.....

Going to take the kids on an outing tomorrow!

It is spring break and perfect weather here. We wanted to take the kids to sea world but it didn't work out so instead I think I am going to take the kids (mine and Teresa's) to the fort worth zoo tomorrow.

They are all getting a little stir crazy and I need some fresh air and exercise. I will take the camera so I can post some cool pictures of all my little minions......

I am asking everyone to join me in praying for 2 little boys with liver tumors. One, Brandon, who is waiting for a liver transplant and who I have talked about several times here, Brian and Melissa's twin boys. The second is Matty, an amazing little boy, who is in the final stages of liver and brain cancer. His family is going through an unimaginable ordeal and need every prayer for peace and strength through this time. There is a link on the top right of my page to Brandon's page and Matty can be found by entering \visit\matty.

I will be back tomorrow with cool pictures, I hope........