Remembering Those We Have Lost

      A few days ago I was organizing my home office, and I had to move a special card I keep tacked on the wall. I smiled and thought back to the past as I moved it to its new place a few feet away. It's a card that I had made to give out to family members at Christmas a few years ago. My Father had passed away unexpectedly ten months prior, and the holidays were a little sad. My Mother and Father had raised ten children and it was the first Christmas we had all spent without him. I call the card pictured above, "A Remember Card." I asked my Mom if I could borrow one of her favorite pictures and I added the words which are exactly how I feel when I think about him.

Miracles Do Happen

Elizabeth Noll of Hamburg with her LASIK surgeon, Dr. Domenic C. Izzo Jr. of Berks Eye Physicians and Surgeons Ltd., Wyomissing. She lost her right arm in March due to necrotizing fascitis and had difficulty since then using her contacts.

    If you read my blog called "Simple Thoughts," you probably saw a post called, "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?" In the post I tried to make sense of why our world seems so unfair when it comes to the good and the pure among us. It seems that good and decent people always take the brunt of life's trials and tribulations. In my post I talked about my wife's best friend. Her name is Liz, and she is one of those rare and special people, who always have bad things happen to them.Though only in her early thirties Liz has dealt with not only raising her son as a single mother, but has survived breast cancer along with the removal of her left arm  dueto a rare, and life threatening disease. Less than two months after surgery to save her life, she has recovered enough to be a source of love and inspiration to those around her. This morning my wife showed me an article about Liz in our local paper. I'm going to reprint the article word for word. Don't be ashamed to shed a tear or two. I did.

Sarah

     I wrote this story about a unique and special woman for another blog. Sarah isn’t her real name, but her story is true. Periodically on this blog I am going to write about real people who have changed their own lives as well as those around them. The “Promise Cards,” aren’t just for other people. They are also for you as well. We should not just make promises to others; we should make them to ourselves. Only by helping ourselves first, by loving ourselves, and becoming better people, can we then reach out to others and make promises. Maybe you’ll recognize a little of yourself in Sarah. I hope you enjoy what Sarah has accomplished, how she has made herself a better person, and how she has made the lives of those around her better.