"Hope"

A very good friend, Meghan (you may remember her from other posts, or her parents who housed Danny while he was training in Portland), has a non-profit philanthropy called WPIG. She knows I love to paint, and although I didn't have the energy to do it last year, this year, I created! It's not the masterpiece I envisioned, but it definitely depicts my personality.

There's an art auction in Fremont, at the Fremont Abby Arts Center, on Friday November 4th at 7:00pm. If you're going to be in the area, buy tickets and come! I guarantee that with this crew of WPIG members, and WPIG supporters, you will have an unforgettable night filled with laughter, smiles, hugs, handshakes and beauty. If you can't attend, and you're interested, there's several different options to donate on the WPIG website.

"Hope"

The art auction is a fundraiser for Ryther. I highly recommend you check out their website; my favorite tab is, Ryther Voice. It's incredibly inspirational and moving. I think the best virtue in humanity, is kindness, and Ryther is full of volunteers and workers that are forging to make our world a better place. There are so many kids that need help getting on their feet, and at the risk of sounding preachy, I believe that when people strive to meet their potential, we all succeed.

About Ryther:
"We serve children and adolescents referred by parents, physicians, state agencies, courts, schools and other providers working with children. We have expanded our services to include programs and solutions for families with children who have challenges stemming from trauma, mental illness, substance abuse, Autism Spectrum Disorders, or adjustment issues with school, peers or parents." - http://www.ryther.org/

I know that there are a million, or actually billions of places where people can donate their time or money, so please don't get overwhelmed. Wherever you can donate, to any cause that's dear to you, just do it. Even if it's $20 or old books that your children don't read. There's always a place for reused things. Over the past year and a half, since the original diagnosis, I've received financial gifts in the mail, money in a donation account, cash stuffed in my hand, and I'm telling you, $20 melds into $100 and all of a sudden a payment on a bill is paid. It has all been out of the goodness of people's hearts, too. I've cried multiple times from the generosity. It's just overwhelming. I like to think that money has a life of its own. It passes from hand to hand, and to me it represents kindness, generosity, piece of mind, well wishes, and wherever I donate, or pass on my money, I hope it sends love around the world, weaving its beautiful little way on the path that it takes. I am in a great position to give to the Ryther organization. I might have medical bills, and a crazy brain tumor which requires expensive alternative treatments, but I can still give a small amount. A little bit goes a long way. I challenge you, next time you see something you believe in, donate $10 or $20 dollars. I guarantee you won't even know it was gone.