People Helping People

Are the luckiest people in the world. And most often, this is merely through words. I have sent Soren's message out to many, many people. To my family. To my closest friends. To friends I have not spoken to in 15 to 20 years. Yet all I hear is kindness. And those words of kindness help me get through the day.

We have a tradition at our house of Friday Pizza and Movie Night. It originated from my not wanting to cook on Friday. And pizza being Moira's favorite food. Then we added wanting to see friends and the ease of having pizza. When kids come over, they eat pizza and watch a movie. The grown-ups eat pizza and catch-up. So we've had some friends over, some delicious pizza, some fun movies, and some great conversation.

This Friday, we were treated to Friday Pizza and Movie Night at our friends the Savinos. Delicious pizza. Wonderful conversation. And while Moira played with Chris and Beth's lovely boys, Vinnie and Nicky, Chris and Beth got to witness Soren's amazing progress. This helped Aaron and I see how far Soren had come.

And then there have been my friends from college (Oxy) and high school (Chaminade). On this coming Saturday, I will be having my 15th college reunion. Aaron and I are having an Oxy Theater Reunion at our house, so people are finding out about our travails with Soren. I have gotten such wonderful words of encouragement, it's amazing.

I also wanted to inform my high school classmates about Soren's condition as well. I think people should be honest and up front about the struggles in their lives. Afterall, most people have them. And I have gotten such wonderful emails from people. People that I haven't spoken to in years. People that are also struggling with their own, life-altering issues. I want to thank them for writing to me to give me encouragement. And I hope, in return, I have given them encouragement as well. Because, in the end, that's what it's all about.

It's about helping people. Through our words. Through our kindness. Those things can take people through to the next day. They can give others hope when they feel hopeless, which I know, I so often do. But the words help. So I thank you all for them. For the words. They really make a difference. So...

Thank you,

Amy