Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for antici














pation! Don't you just love having something to look forward to? Especially as adults, isn't it one of the few things that creates that bubbly energy? Often, it's vacation that'll do it, the planning & packing, the wanting & waiting. Maybe it's the anticipation of a new baby or hoping for some sort of good news. I love that effervescent feeling. Hope you do, too, especially in anticipation of the event details tomorrow!

What are you thankful for today?

So ...

if you're not busy Saturday, September 27, 2008, and you like to spend time with us, and you'd like to bring kids, family & friends, and you'd like to enjoy a famously fantastic Kansas evening, and you would be okay wearing your comfy shoes, would you like to help save babies from pediatric brain cancer?

If so, stay tuned for a big announcement on Friday!!!

Okay, then ...

if you're not busy Saturday, September 27, 2008, and you like to spend time with us, and you'd like to bring kids, family & friends, and you'd like to enjoy a famously fantastic Kansas evening, would you want to put on your comfy shoes for a bit?

Well,

if you're not busy Saturday, September 27, 2008, and you like to spend time with us, and you'd like to bring kids, family & friends, would you want to enjoy this during a famously fantastic Kansas evening?

And ...

if you're not busy on Saturday, September 27, 2008 and you'd like to spend time with us, would you like to bring your kiddos, friends, grandparents, neighbors and anyone else that makes you happy?

So ...

if you're available Saturday, September 27, 2008, would you like to spend some time with us? ;)

Thankful Thursday.

Today I'm thankful for motion. I'm thankful that our bodies are made to move, that our legs & feet can really take us places, both literally and figuratively. I'm thankful that even when something incompacitates us, we invent a way to adjust and move anyway, be it a chair with wheels or prosthetics or loving people that take us places no matter what. I deeply appreciate all the underpaid factory workers all over the world that make our name-brand sneakers. I'm thankful that there are rubber trees on this planet to make the shoes that protect our feet. I'm thankful that muscles know what to do without us really thinking about it.

Motion is good. And when we all move collectively in the same direction, that's even better.

What are you thankful for today?

So ...

What are you doing Saturday, September 27?

The Virtuous Life.

There's always room for improvement, eh?

Around the time that this country was being born, one of our founding fathers and most thought-prolific thinkers came up with a set of tips for living. Benjamin Franklin "conceiv'd the bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection." While we all know that people aren't perfect—ever—the desire to be better for ourselves and for other remains in our fibers like the pulp in the trunk of a tree.

So, without further a'do:

Tips for Living a Virtuous Life from Benjamin Frankin's autobiography in 1793.

1. Temperance. Eat not to Dulness. Drink not to Elevation.

2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation.

3. Order. Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time.

4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality. Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e., Waste nothing.

6. Industry. Lose no time. Be always employ'd in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions.

7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice. Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.

9. Moderation. Avoid Extreams. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Cloaths, or Habitation.

11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable.

12. Chastity. Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dullness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another’s Peace or Reputation.

13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Thankful Thursday

(written by Chad)

Today, I'm thankful for those that give. This doesn't always have to involve money, either. Whether it's someone that goes above and beyond to contribute food for the hungry, or simply someone giving of their time and efforts, the gift of giving should never be taken for granted. Give your patience, give your kindness and "give good" whenever you can. I challenge you to post - what are you thankful for today?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

'Member when I mentioned that scrappers are nice people? It's truly true.

Remember that charity prize drawing from Scrapfunattic's event, Crop*a*Ganza? Yesterday the foundation received a lovely donation in the mail! Another big thank you to Laurie Turner and a giant thank you all of you 'Ganzers for allowing us to be $170 closer to our goal!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for justice. Do you ever wonder when it's going to all shake out? When is it finally going to be fair? When will the overlooked get center stage, the sneakiness unsnuck and all the underhandedness caught red-handed?

I root for underdogs. Can't help it. And I've always loved the idea of the meek inheriting the earth. In fact the beatitudes give me tremendous hope when trying to understand humanity's hearts, socioeconomic conditions and life's unfairness.

From the text of St. Matthew:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land.
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

So don't fret is you are afflicted or if you are uncommonly humble. Nor if you are suffering or lacking. The wrongs will be righted, and rewards will be yours. Kind of a nice affirmation for an average Thursday, eh?

What are you thankful for today?

Capturing the moment.

Scrapbooking: the phenomena and the fear. For those who have taken up the scrapbooking hobby, you already get it. You are excited over gorgeous 12x12 papers, you squeal when you see a super-cute embellishment, you know what the word "embellishment" means, you understand and enjoy being up at 2 a.m. in "the creative zone" with glitter in your ears and on your lips.

To those who haven't, though, this all sounds confusing. Photos and what? Punching, stamping, die-cutting? Sounds dangerous. Often I hear, "I'm not creative enough." I say, bah! Think of it as a photo album with written captions, only prettier. A journal with photos, only more fun. You don't have to do every photo, you don't have to scrapbook every holiday, and you certainly don't have to be perfect. In fact my favorite scrapbooks are the old ones with the photo corners holding deckle-edged photos to black paper. I love the white, slowly written, cursive words beneath each image. Timeless.

And when people ask why bother scrapbooking, I ask them, "Wouldn't it be nice if your grandparents or parents had left you with their thoughts, feelings and images of what it was like to live their lives? Wouldn't that be AMAZING?!" And what an incredible hobby to have, one that offers a creative outlet that becomes an heirloom, like quilting & knitting.

Just as it's worth living in the moment, it's worth capturing some of them, too.

Long before Kyrie became sick, long before we even knew about PNETs and craniotomies, before she could even really run around, I put this together featuring one of her photographs.



I hope you'll join us for The Kyrie Foundation Krop in October to raise research funds, even if you've never scrapped anything before. You'll meet lots of really nice people who'll offer tips, tell stories of scrapping mishaps and even share their tools and stickers. Scrappers are really nice people. Unfortunately, there are a limited number of seats. To reserve yours now, visit: http://www.scrappinbootcamp.com/events.html.

A request.

You can usually bet that if it's a little quiet here on the blog, there are big things a'brewin' for the foundation. Stay tuned: we have an exciting announcement forthcoming in the next week or so. With that in mind, on behalf of the board, I'd like to ask for your help.

When it comes to events that we're organizing to raise funds for The Kyrie Foundation Research Grant, we cannot do it alone. We have a few challenges: we're new & we're small. Being new means that people & businesses are unsure of who we are & what we're doing. Being new also means that we're not yet on the most popular nonprofit circuit, so often times, we have to compete for the same dollars that, say, the American Heart Association asks for. Yikes!

Being small means that we have limited resources & contacts, and your volunteer board members are peddling as fast as we can.

However being new means that you get to be on the ground floor of something that is aiming for the stratosphere. You get to be a part of us from the very beginning. And being small means that your donations, be it individual or corporate, actually go toward the good of this lean & mean organization and the research grant. There aren't layers upon layers of bureaucracy and no news-making sneakiness. In fact, accountability is HUGELY important to us. We can't wait to tell you what progress our annual grants are making.

Notice the "our" of "our annual grants." These grants, this progress, is yours, too. We are doing this with you. And part of what you can do to help us is simply talking about us. Tell people about "this new nonprofit" that you're helping. Wear your t-shirt. Ask your friends or family if they want to come with you to "this fundraiser for The Kyrie Foundation."

So as we debut news & events here for the foundation, we hope that we can count on your support and your help to drum up even more support.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for family photos. A two-dimensional piece of photo paper can nearly embody a body. The light & shadows, the expression, the environment, the hairstyles, the clothing styles all leave clues about the life held within a frame or an album. Photographs (and now videography) are vessels that bottle time: youth, the milestones, the everydays. For me, I will study an old photo for years, looking for a connection, a resemblance, hoping that I understand what needs to be understood from the subject.

I especially love the family photos taken during the season where the kids are shocks of freckles & energy and the parents, God bless 'em, are mildly disheveled, holding a baby in a lap and giving the kind of smile where you know they're thinking, "If there are bunny ears behind me, there's going to be big trouble after we get to the car!"

I hope you're taking pictures this summer, and I hope the usual picture taker is getting in some of those shots, too.

What are you thankful for today?

The healing process.

By July 1, summers are usually in full swing. Heated mornings, a wardrobe of t-shirts & mosquito bites and evenings soaked in twilight and freeze-y pops. Sometimes watching others in the neighborhood enjoying this time brings me pangs of grief that alight on my heart like uninvited spiders in my home. Other families get to feel whole, never knowing the anguish of losing a small child. Sometimes, admittedly, I feel envious of their oblivious summer days.

Several people have said that the birth of a new child for Jordan & Lacie must help the family's healing process immensely, and it does--as a joyful, welcomed, sweet distraction. The newness and busy-ness of Kamdyn is therapeutic and gives us all a renewed sense of hope. Once again, Lacie & Jordan are gratefully consumed by diapers & feedings; it's incredible watching them work as such a caring team. They apply that same love & care to the foundation, too.

However, many assume that as time passes, the hurt hurts less. No such thing. The hurt, like a chameleon, simply blends into our bodies, our behaviors, our speech, our schedules. The hurt dons disguises, takes other forms and becomes the tried & true companion that nobody really wants.

And the only thing time gives to soothe grief and sadness is a returned degree of composure. You slowly regain the ability to stand upright though you'd rather double over in a crumpled pile on the floor. The pain is still fiery below the surface, twisting and punching to get out, but your head is able to nod in a conversation or your eyes are able to hold back the tsunami of tears for when you're alone.

[big sigh]

Ultimately, though, the end thought that returns as each calendar day passes is that we just keep taking Kyrie with us. We keep taking all the children who have suffered with this unfair disease with us into tomorrow. Then one day, tomorrow will hold a cure.