SAYING GOODBYE TO A FRIEND

AUGUST 29, 2012 - SAYING GOODBYE TO A FRIEND 

SAYING GOODBYE TO A FRIEND 

Country music is full of emotion: joy, sadness, anger, jealousy.  You name it, country music has it.  And sometimes, it mirrors how we feel when someone we know is effected by illness.  Angry, sad, hopeful.  Toby Keith wrote "Crying For Me" about his friend Wayman Tisdale...and it speaks to me about how I feel at the loss of a friend.

Cancer is a thief.  It robs you of your joy, your strength, your life.  Sometimes you fight it and win...and sometimes you don't.  God helps you, whatever the outcome.  As a cancer survivor, I have the feeling that my winning is only temporary-it's just a feeling-not a fact.  But through prayer and grace, I go on.  In my journey I have met many survivors, and I have met others who have fought and lost.  A lovely lady that I came to be acquainted with in the past couple years was taken this week, far too soon by cancer.  

Kim Mothershead was a gentlewoman, a lady.  Graceful, loving, and kind. There are thousands who know and love her--far better than I did.  But she never failed to be generous and kind to me, or anyone that she came in contact with.  She gave generously of her time and money, and inspired others to do the same.  I would urge you to read some of her story: http://www.semissourian.com/story/1887883.html 

I thought about sending flowers, but then I remembered that she would have preferred something that would help in the community.  So my memorial will go to the Safe House for Women.  I feel she would like that.  But I wanted to do more.  I wanted to encourage YOU to do more.

Please find a way to help others in your life.  Memorial contributions for Kim may be given to the Safe House for Women, United Way Grace's Reading Program, 
Wounded Warrior Project or the SEMO University Foundation for Athletics, Education or the River Campus. 

But there are more ways:
Help fight cancer with http://www.cancer.org/  or  http://ww5.komen.org/ 

Support local activities:
http://rethinkchurch.org/impact-event/serve-2012?quicktabs_impact_events=1#quicktabs-impact_events 

Donate:
to the local food bank:  http://www.firstpccape.org/id22.html 
to help others around the world:  http://www.toms.com/our-movement/ 

Volunteer:
with children:  http://www.discoveryplayhouse.org/AboutUs.aspx 
or the disabled:  http://www.sadi.org/ 

LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING!  Be bigger than you are today...bigger than you think you can be!  Live, laugh, love!  Help honor the memory of those who have gone before us, and be all that you are meant to be...I know I am trying. JOIN ME?!