Secret family recipes.

So we're in full-on recipe mode today: gathering, sorting, organizing. If you've sent recipes for the Kyrie Foundation cookbook, we thank you from the bottom of our mixing bowls! If you haven't yet, there's still time!

Today, we're thinking of family foods, the kinds of recipes that become a tradition, an edible testament to what it means to have your family gather for a meal. What dish is a signature for your family? What entree, side, dessert, [dare I say dip? ;)] is so you or a family member? What recipes do you make when you need to feed a hungry crowd? What recipe do you whip up when it's a special occasion?

And ... would you mind sharing those with us? We'll give you full credit (or to whom you like credit to be given) and maybe you could tell us a little bit about how this recipe came to be so loved. Please send all recipes to Jan Munroe at kyriesnana@kyriefoundation.org.

Keep cookin'!

Thankful Thursday

Another thank you for a thank you! Susan, a.k.a. Easter Bunny, recieved this handmade thank you note from Wesley pediatrics, a thank you to the Easter crew and to all of you who made the trip possible with your generous donations.

The Day the Angels Came
a grandpa's prayer and poem for Kyrie Dawn

Wednesday, April 4, the day we heard of the explosive growth of the tumors

Alas! O, Lord what is it that I hear?
Is it Your angels coming for our Kyrie Dawn?
O, please Lord, keep them at bay--
If just for one more day.

Thursday, April 5, Holy Thursday

O, Lord, what is this I hear?
Is it that You need another little angel to be near?
O, please Lord, please Lord, don't take our Kyrie dear.
Could You please keep Your angels away,
and we could have her just one more day?

Friday, April 6, Good Friday

O, precious, sweet Jesus, is this the day?
No, no, dear Lord, not today--
This is Your day that You died to save.
Again, please Dear God, let us be selfish
and keep sweet Kyrie another day.

Saturday, April 7, Holy Saturday Easter Vigil

Thank you dear God in heaven
for yet another precious day--
For we all know things will be done your way.
Little Kyrie Dawn is fighting so very hard--
Yesterday she three her ball three times
till her tiny arm got tired.

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God's love entrusts her here,
Ever this day be at her side
To light, to guard, to rule to guide. Amen.

Sunday, April 8, Easter Sunday

Dear God in Heaven, Your angels came last night,
As we all knew that someday they might.
They came around the hour of seven
to take our precious one to her
special place in heaven.
Sweet Jesus, we know that you, too, love the little ones,
so to You we give You our little Kyrie Dawn--
And in the end, it is always Your will that will be done.

* A note: The flower garden of nearly 200 pink & red tulips that Papa Thome planted last fall began to show the tiniest bits of color yesterday. With a little more sun, they are likely to bloom today.

For today.

You may have heard or seen the news stories about the two families whose daughters were mistakenly identified after a tragic car wreck in Indiana. For five weeks, one family tended to the girl who they believed was their daughter, and the other family mourned. Then they both found out the truth.

These families were recently on Oprah, and toward the end of the interview, after the correct identity was discovered, these faith-filled families recalled their face-to-face meeting. The father of the newly identified, alive daughter, Mr. Cerak, compassionately, regretfully says to the other father, "I'm sorry we got the happy ending."

The other father, Mr. Van Ryn, who realizes that his daughter has really been gone for the past five weeks, replies, "So did we. We just haven't seen the whole ending yet."

Amidst the past year's storm of grief--the kind of grief that grips you when you're pushing your grocery cart or when at your desk job or when you're behind the wheel or lying awake at night or brushing your teeth or among friends or with family or by yourself--there have been umbrellas generously offered by you all who are willing to stand in the pouring rain with us, with Lacie & Jordan. Again and again, we thank you, and we must continue to remind ourselves and each other that we just haven't seen the whole ending yet.

...

A little butterfly told me that there are some updates to the Kyrie Foundation Web site. Check 'em out here.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for the feeling of a warm kitchen. As a child, my mother would press out batches of buttermilk biscuits on top of the island counter on a weekly basis. The aroma would draw all of us kids from the basement playroom upstairs to a kitchen filled with life & love. Sometimes slathered with homemade jam, these biscuits were flaky & warm with a slab of real butter melting into each morsel. Now as an adult, buttermilk biscuits have come to mean home to me.

So today, as the preparation for the Kyrie Foundation cookbook picks up steam, I would like to challenge each of you to consider the recipe in your life that makes you think of home. What smell, what taste instantly takes you back to a time of love & security? What dish comforts you? What meal do you prepare to care for your family? And ... we would love, love, love for you to share your stories and recipes with us today.

Simply e-mail your recipes in an e-mail or as a Word document attachment to Jan Munroe at kyriesnana@kyriefoundation.org. Each recipe chosen for the cookbook will include the name of who created the recipe or name of submitter, whichever you would like best. Please include your city & state as well. Can't wait to hear from you all!

What are you thankful for today?

A thank you for the thank you.

Thank you Carver's mom for being precisely the kind of family the the Easter Bunny & Eggbert love to help. We're so grateful that you've included their trip on your blog.

And here's a good thought for today related to Susan & Rita's visit:

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.
Leo Buscaglia