My weekend.
Had some of this
A little of this
And a whole lot of this
Saturday night Peter and I were given a wonderful opportunity to be a part of an extraordinary event and share the evening with friends who have become family.
Sister Hazel frontman Ken Block lost his younger brother to Lymphoma at 18 years old. Ken is an amazing man with a heart and dedication for raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer research and quality of life programs. Lyrics for Life is a concert that his band performs nationwide and they donate the money to some awesome programs, locally benefitting the Children’s Cancer Center.
There was good food, stunning auction items, outstanding music and people….lots and lots of people coming together to open their wallets for pediatric cancer. Amazing. Ken’s mom spoke eloquently about her life as the mother of a cancer patient, the loss they suffered, the grief that they went through. It resonated deeply in my heart, how could it not? Something she said touched me so profoundly (and this is paraphrased, because I can’t remember exactly, but close enough):
“We can’t control the outcome, but we can control how we face each day. We can make sure that we live with happiness and hope until we reach the outcome.”
Their outcome wasn’t what any person would dream, but they knew that they lived each day to the fullest. I have to adopt that. OWN that.
*************
Sunday night was all SPORTS all night!
We were given some great seats courtesy of Mike Alstott to attend his dedication at the Buc’s game. The game was a blowout and we enjoyed watching an emotional goodbye ceremony to an awesome athlete and a tremendous man. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mike a few times because his heart is also passionate childhood cancer and he’s done some great things for our local cancer families. It was fantastic to be there on a night to honor him.
The funny thing was how torn the crowd was between watching the game playing out on the field and the critical Rays game playing across the bridge. The crowd was so jazzed up for a night of Tampa champions. Although I know squat about baseball and I’ve never sat through a World Series, I’m excited for the Rays and their victory and what that means to our hometown.
If you’re a Rays fan and supporter, please consider purchasing an Evan Longoria shirt that will also benefit the Children’s Cancer Center!
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Ken’s mother sounds like an amazing woman. So are you. I can’t even begin to imagine.
I’m glad you had a nice weekend. Pretty, pretty people!
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
My dad died from lymphoma and for years we have volunteered for the LLS. I always love seeing the kids and the families who are sponsored by the Men & Women of the Year. This too is a good reminder for me.
ScaryMoms last blog post..A good friend is….
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Have to learn the baseball.
David says.
Beverlys last blog post..The Glimpse
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Don’t we all need to be pretty and fancy once and awhile? You looked beautiful.
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 12:06 am
Why am I sucking on my hair???? What am I, 5 again? Ya couldn’t give me a little photoshop love and get rid of the hair? And say 50 or so pounds? 🙂 It was a great weekend with great friends!! Thanks so much for playdates all weekend! 🙂
Love you guys,
Natalie
http://www.believeinmandy.blogspot.com
Natalies last blog post..The kindness of strangers and not-so-strangers
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 3:47 am
I am here because I missed a comment of yours on something I wrote on BlogHer. I’m sorry I missed it.
What’s cool is that I’m reading this, and tonight, at our weekly cub scout meeting (in Brandon, btw), I saw someone with a “Got Evan?” shirt and I knew I had to find out what it meant.
What a cool weekend for Tampa Bay, eh?
Suzannes last blog post..Yummy, Tax Deductible Popcorn
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 9:29 am
Take down the Phillies and cure cancer? I could go for that.
always home and uncools last blog post..Sleeping With My Daughter
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 1:40 pm
What a great way to spend the weekend without the kids!!
Peace and Love to all those who try to make a difference for the better in this crazy world.
Sarah Clapps last blog post..Angry Kitty!
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Ken’s mom sounds wise. We should all listen to her advice, whether we are struck by cancer or not. Beautiful.
Looks like everybody had a great time!
Mrs. Kittys last blog post..Little Zee and our weekend recap
on Oct 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
“We can’t control the outcome, but we can control how we face each day. We can make sure that we live with happiness and hope until we reach the outcome.” – WOW, that’s intense. And we could all benefit from owning that statement!
Looks like a fun night, for a great cause!
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