Lungs for Mandy

Okay, I look terrible. My entire head is wrapped like I was in some sort if major accident. Or perhaps I’m a “special” person and the wrapping is to protect me from falling on my head. The sucky thing about it is I have to get out of the apartment to see a counselor and take a test plus I have to pick a few things up from the market. Well, I can either sit here complaining or go out and get the stuff I need. Thanksgiving won’t be the same with out desserts — So I’ll go!

I hope you are all preparing for Thanksgiving. Everyone has something to be thankful for so be sure to say thank you for what you have been given.

Hello there. I hope you are all doing well. I recently arrived home after the procedure of removing cancer from my scalp in two places. It went a little better than I originally thought. Pain is the issue right now because I have a ton of staples covering the area where they dug out the cancer. Plus my entire head is wrapped  tightly to make sure the effected areas don’t stop bleeding again. Additionally, the docs removed biospies from my lip, (which look beautiful) to make sure there is not cancer there either. All in all I look worse than I feel.

Hello there! I hope the season has been treating you well. Here in St Louis it has been frigid cold. Other than the 20 degree weather, this year seems to be going in a better direction than last year. It is getting close to the holidays and I am so thrilled about the holidays. Most years I am complaining about Christmas being such a retailer’s holiday, but not this year. I was actually singing Christmas songs Friday. (Real weird) I think I am just real thankful for everything I have been given. One thing that has increased is my volunteer work. I have a multitude of volunteer things going on this year and I would like to ask for you help – Did I blindside you? Did you know that I was going to be asking for something? Sorry! I think once you have read about Voices for Children you will really be interested in helping the organization or more importantly the children.  From VFC’s On any given day, there are over 1500 children in foster care in the City of St. Louis . These children enter foster care because they have been abused, neglected, abandoned or cannot live at home. Sadly sometimes the child welfare system that is designed to protect children becomes so complicated and overburdened that the voice of the child, and what’s best for that child, gets lost. This is where Voices for Children volunteer advocates come in.  You can read more at: www.voicesforchildrenstl.org/About/About.asp 

I am a volunteer advocate for VFC and since these children are usually removed due to an emergency they do not get to take their own items when they go.  The trauma these kid’s experience it truly crushing and it would really be nice to help them have a nice holiday.   I have attached a wish list if you are at all interested in picking up any of these items up. I will be happy to gather the gifts and take them to VFC headquarters if you would like. I don’t believe the list is excessive whatsoever and could possibly be done at a local dollar store. 

If you are interested in participating please email me at may12usch@yahoo.com and we can arrange a pick up or if you are interested in VFC for any other reason - we always need new volunteer advocates.

You can find the list at http://www.voicesforchildrenstl.org/How_You/wishlist/index.asp

Thanks,

     Amanda

Well, when it rains it pours. It’s pretty amazing but this from long, long ago –Mandy Day 2008. It was lost in my camera somehow and somehow it is now available.

From left to right: Dad (Frank), Grandpa Bob, Aunt Janet, Mom,  Chris (sister-in-law), Jacob (nephew #2), Sophia Claire (favorite niece), Steve (#1 brother), Alex (#1 nephew), Me, Amber (2nd cousin), Tim (1st cousin), Becky (cousin in law) Peyton (2nd cousin). These are the people that I love and I am so thankful for each and everyone one of them. I wish Aunt Linda was in the photo, but she was the photographer.

I’ll start by saying that my Aunt Sue and Uncle Greg are not blood relatives, but have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Mom and Sue have known one another since they were kids and have continued to stay close all of these years. My Dad and Greg became friends by default but are as close as two people can be…. Best friends, in my opinion. I actually think Dad and Greg see one another more than my Mom and Sue these days. Ann is Greg’s mother and passed away a few days ago after a long illness. I remember Ann as a really close girlfriend when I was child - she probably saw me as an annoying kid that wouldn’t leave her alone and constantly asked why this and why that. She lived next door to us and there were only about seven houses on my street. Everyday I made my way to her house around the time she was feeding the birds; she mainly focused on the hummingbirds. She always made sure to feed them because hummingbirds begin to really depend on you for survival once you begin to feed them. I had never seen someone so dedicated to wildlife, but she was and the birds loved her. They really began to trust her and were practically at her back as she delivered the “goods” which was a red substance called nectar that tasted like sugar water. (Don’t ask!) I followed her around constantly watching her care for her hummingbirds until she moved and soon after her house was torn down. The hummingbirds stayed around for a time, but realized they would never have nectar from her again. Ann was a generous, sweet, wise woman and she will be missed terribly. She was really suffering and the only thing I can really say to comfort myself and possibly others is that she is no longer suffering. In addition, her happiness is probably deep now that she is in the next realm reacquainting with her husband, family members (including her granddaughter who passed far too early in life) and friends who have passed before her.