Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
its been a while
I can't believe its been so long since I've blogged but things have been crazy. So much has happened over the past few weeks. I promise to sit and update everyone tomorrow. I've missed being here on my blog so be ready to read a really long update! Thanks for continuing to pray for me. Love Ellen
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Treatment 3 - Thursday Dec 30th and health update for you guys-Happy New Year
It's been a while since I wrote about what's going on and how I am actually feeling. So here is a brief update. My 3rd treatment is this week 12/30. So far I have been doing really well. Doc Hottie is very impressed with me and how well I am handling the treatments. My chest and lungs sound GREAT and I actually feel great except this is fatigue week. The week leading up to my treatment I get really tired. Yesterday I slept for 16 hours straight and even scared Tammy when I wouldn't answer the phone. I think I said it in an earlier post - it's like being drunk and hung over at the same time just without the nausea.
In fact I had lost some more weight but have leveled out and maintained my weight for the past 2 weeks so this is good news. I get nauseated every so often if I smell a certain food cooking or I get up out of bed to fast, but I take my little pill and in about 15 minutes I am good to go. So no complaints really.
I will do this next treatment and then on January 17th I have to do a CT Scan of the chest. This will tell us if there has been any changes. Hopefully the change we see is that the tumor is shrinking and there is no more fluid. Hell I'm praying the tumor is gone by some miracle. I will get the results on Jan. 18th, and promise to come back and post results right here for you all to see.
Please do not get upset if I don't call you personally. I have so many people that I love and want to call every time I hear something but it's physically and emotionally impossible to do so. That is why I have this BLOG, so i can reach everyone at once.
I cant thank you all for what you do - the prayers especially mean the world to me. The donations that are still coming in from the Third base fundraiser are a blessing. The upcoming fundraiser at Pub Zero in Slidell looks like it will be a full house and the raffle for the liquor barrel worth $1000. These events are all being planned by friends and family who have worked tirelessly to help me and Wayne fund my treatments.
Our Christmas was blessed and filled with family. I Hope everyone of you had a great one. My wish for the New Year is that we all receive answered prayers, have hearts filled with love and be blessed with our health. To you my friends I wish to celebrate many more years with each of you.
I love you - Happy New year
Ellen
In fact I had lost some more weight but have leveled out and maintained my weight for the past 2 weeks so this is good news. I get nauseated every so often if I smell a certain food cooking or I get up out of bed to fast, but I take my little pill and in about 15 minutes I am good to go. So no complaints really.
I will do this next treatment and then on January 17th I have to do a CT Scan of the chest. This will tell us if there has been any changes. Hopefully the change we see is that the tumor is shrinking and there is no more fluid. Hell I'm praying the tumor is gone by some miracle. I will get the results on Jan. 18th, and promise to come back and post results right here for you all to see.
Please do not get upset if I don't call you personally. I have so many people that I love and want to call every time I hear something but it's physically and emotionally impossible to do so. That is why I have this BLOG, so i can reach everyone at once.
I cant thank you all for what you do - the prayers especially mean the world to me. The donations that are still coming in from the Third base fundraiser are a blessing. The upcoming fundraiser at Pub Zero in Slidell looks like it will be a full house and the raffle for the liquor barrel worth $1000. These events are all being planned by friends and family who have worked tirelessly to help me and Wayne fund my treatments.
Our Christmas was blessed and filled with family. I Hope everyone of you had a great one. My wish for the New Year is that we all receive answered prayers, have hearts filled with love and be blessed with our health. To you my friends I wish to celebrate many more years with each of you.
I love you - Happy New year
Ellen
Angels Near & Far
"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, not the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I think everyone from Alabama to Louisiana has heard about Ellen's Angels by now. It's amazing how much love and support I have received over the past couple of months. BUT tonight has taken Ellen's Angels clear across the globe - up north to Canada! That's right I now have Ellen's Canadian Angels! Let me tell you a story.....
Back in High School I was fortunate enough to have many different circles of friends. It was my Jr and Sr year that brought me close to Sabrina Lucetti. Sabrina and I were a hot mess together. We both wanted to be Madonna, we both loved music and to be the star of the show! Her sense of humor and smile always cheered me up. Sabrina was just one of those girls who made you have fun no matter what kind of mood you were in. When it came to her family, especially her Mother - her Italian blood ran thick and our love for our Mothers was something else we had in common.
We were usually the talk of the school when it came to hair styles, or should I say hair color. If she went bleach blonde, I went frosted. If she went frosted, I went black and so on. At some point I think I was green when she was blue but I'm not sure LOL... (I really was green at one point). We just always had a great time together and we always loved one another and never fought.
Well, Sabrina had her high school sweetheart Mark, and after graduation they got married. I ran into her once or twice and then they moved to Canada. We mailed each other (before Internet was common) a few times through the years and like most friendships, would lose touch and then a few years would pass and we'd connect again always as if we had talked the day before.
Well as we all know Katrina hit us pretty hard. me and my family had evacuated to Winnfield, LA. I could not reach anyone by phone. None of my friends or co-workers in MS or LA. NOT ONE! It was as if every number I had in my phone had been disconnected. I remember sitting outside of our hotel room, crying with my phone in my hand because I had just hung up with Penn Nat'l Gaming's corporate office - (they owned Casino Magic Bay St Louis). When I couldn't reach my co-workers I called the corporate HR office to see if they had heard from any of our employee's, but especially my HR Team. They told me that I was the first employee to call out of, I think we had over 1,100 at the time. I told them what the news was reporting was that the cities of Waveland and Bay St Louis were demolished and wiped away. It was a very emotional call to say the least. So as I sat there with my phone in hand, crying my eyes out like everyone else my phone rang. I don't even remember looking at who was calling - I was so shocked it actually was ringing that I immediately answered it. On the other end of the phone was SABRINA. She was hysterical and I could barely understand her. SHE was the first person to contact me after Katrina. She was in Canada and was watching it all unfold on the news. She had family in NOLA and knew they were safe, but she was so worried about me and my family. It was just so good to hear someones voice and especially someones voice that meant so much to me for so many years. After that call I believe we spoke at least every other day. After about 10 days at the hotel my parents found a condo to rent in Lafayette. Once we moved I must have given Sabrina my address, I don't really remember, but about a week or so after being in the condo I received a package. It was a BIG box - literally HUGE filled to the top with clothes for all of us. The kids, me, Wayne. It had blankets and sheets and books and so much stuff in it. All stuff that Sabrina had gotten donated after learning that we lost everything except what we had evacuated with which was 1 weeks clothes each (I thought we'd be home after the power was back on - duh) and 1 backpack of toys for each of the kids, and of course my pictures and few sentimental items. Sabrina was there for me and I have never forgotten how much that meant to me, to all of us. It was an incredible thing to have someone so generous in my life.
Mark contacted me in September and invited me to come to Canada to surprise Sabrina for her 40th birthday. When he contacted me he said that Sabrina told him there is no way he could ever surprise her and he racked his brain trying to think of the best surprise he could pull of. I wanted to go so badly, but knew I was undergoing all the tests and did not want to tell him what we suspected. Not until I knew for sure what it was. So I unfortunately had to turn down the invitation and that truly broke my heart. I wanted to go and see her so badly. I promised myself that once I knew what was wrong and was feeling well Wayne and I would plan a surprise trip - and fly to Canada and just up on their doorstep! Then I was diagnosed and knew that dream would be put on hold once again....
WELL - here we are 5 years or so later and I am at a point in my life where I have to face another challenge and again Sabrina being Sabrina, was one of the first of my friends to want to do something. It was hard on her being in Canada and not being here for me physically. Her Fb messages to me were ones of love and concern. She encouraged me to fight and be strong and reminded me that if I beat it once I could do it again. these words helped me in those first few days and I could tell from her writing she was very upset and concerned for me. BUT she was determined she was going to do SOMETHING. And then it came to her - why not do a 50/50 raffle. She had the tickets made and got her husband and friends to sell them.
Tonight I opened a package from Sabrina. The entire time I was trying to open it I was shaking. It was so strange, it was as if all the love that was sealed inside of it was bursting to get out! I finally opted for a scissors because I couldn't tear through the tape on the envelope. The first thing I pulled out was a beautiful compact and a letter from Bri. I won't share the letter because it's between two girlfriends and I will cherish it forever. I hope she knows I will do as she asked and it will always be with me from here on out.
The next thing I opened was a Christmas card. The Card held a check and Sabrina wrote inside of it explaining where the check had come from. Sabrina began selling tickets to everyone she knew and had her husband hustling ticket sales as well. Some friends jumped in and helped and things were looking pretty good. It seems that while selling the tickets for the 50/50 raffle, some of her co-workers and friends chose to write my name on the tickets instead of their own which would increase my chances of actually winning all of the money rather than just receiving 50% of whatever was raised. A total of $925 was raised and my name was pulled from "the hat" from a ticket that was purchased by one of her co-workers. The check for $925 from my Canadian Angels was just an amazing sight to see. I cried the whole time I read the card out loud to Wayne. Then I read it again to myself. I handed Wayne the card and the check and he cried like a baby.
In her card Sabrina went on to tell me that she admired me. That my blog is an inspiration and has changed the way she looks at things and has made her a better person. I can't tell you how good those words made me feel. here I am writing a blog to help me through this journey and all awhile I am helping her. It's an amazing feeling to be blessed this way. Those of you who really know me will know that I don't take friendships lightly. My friends, my true friends are loved like family. Sabrina is one of those friends. We spoke on the phone tonight and I just couldn't find big enough words to thank her for all she has done. Her response was that she wished it could have been more! ARE YOU KIDDING! She has provided for me during two of the most tragic events in my life and has never turned her back on me. She has encouraged complete strangers that only know me as "her friend who needs help", to give money to me. She has made me feel that I have accomplished a great thing by inspiring at least 1 person with my words. She has given me more than I could ever give her in return. But she knows that I love her and cherish our friendship. No matter how many miles apart we are - our hearts beat in sync and for each other. She is my soul sister and I love her for everything she has done and for everything she will continue to do that is good, not just for me but for anyone who ever needs her, I know she will be there.
She plans on coming down South in the Spring and we will get to spend time together. One of my dreams is to one day go to Canada to visit her and allow me to meet some of the people who donated to me. That's going on my wish list and I know it will happen.
So as lucky as I am to have Ellen's Angels here at home - I know I have my Canadian Angels too and that makes me feel twice as blessed.
I love you Sabrina and Mark - and I will always love you!
Ellen
I think everyone from Alabama to Louisiana has heard about Ellen's Angels by now. It's amazing how much love and support I have received over the past couple of months. BUT tonight has taken Ellen's Angels clear across the globe - up north to Canada! That's right I now have Ellen's Canadian Angels! Let me tell you a story.....
Back in High School I was fortunate enough to have many different circles of friends. It was my Jr and Sr year that brought me close to Sabrina Lucetti. Sabrina and I were a hot mess together. We both wanted to be Madonna, we both loved music and to be the star of the show! Her sense of humor and smile always cheered me up. Sabrina was just one of those girls who made you have fun no matter what kind of mood you were in. When it came to her family, especially her Mother - her Italian blood ran thick and our love for our Mothers was something else we had in common.
We were usually the talk of the school when it came to hair styles, or should I say hair color. If she went bleach blonde, I went frosted. If she went frosted, I went black and so on. At some point I think I was green when she was blue but I'm not sure LOL... (I really was green at one point). We just always had a great time together and we always loved one another and never fought.
Well, Sabrina had her high school sweetheart Mark, and after graduation they got married. I ran into her once or twice and then they moved to Canada. We mailed each other (before Internet was common) a few times through the years and like most friendships, would lose touch and then a few years would pass and we'd connect again always as if we had talked the day before.
Well as we all know Katrina hit us pretty hard. me and my family had evacuated to Winnfield, LA. I could not reach anyone by phone. None of my friends or co-workers in MS or LA. NOT ONE! It was as if every number I had in my phone had been disconnected. I remember sitting outside of our hotel room, crying with my phone in my hand because I had just hung up with Penn Nat'l Gaming's corporate office - (they owned Casino Magic Bay St Louis). When I couldn't reach my co-workers I called the corporate HR office to see if they had heard from any of our employee's, but especially my HR Team. They told me that I was the first employee to call out of, I think we had over 1,100 at the time. I told them what the news was reporting was that the cities of Waveland and Bay St Louis were demolished and wiped away. It was a very emotional call to say the least. So as I sat there with my phone in hand, crying my eyes out like everyone else my phone rang. I don't even remember looking at who was calling - I was so shocked it actually was ringing that I immediately answered it. On the other end of the phone was SABRINA. She was hysterical and I could barely understand her. SHE was the first person to contact me after Katrina. She was in Canada and was watching it all unfold on the news. She had family in NOLA and knew they were safe, but she was so worried about me and my family. It was just so good to hear someones voice and especially someones voice that meant so much to me for so many years. After that call I believe we spoke at least every other day. After about 10 days at the hotel my parents found a condo to rent in Lafayette. Once we moved I must have given Sabrina my address, I don't really remember, but about a week or so after being in the condo I received a package. It was a BIG box - literally HUGE filled to the top with clothes for all of us. The kids, me, Wayne. It had blankets and sheets and books and so much stuff in it. All stuff that Sabrina had gotten donated after learning that we lost everything except what we had evacuated with which was 1 weeks clothes each (I thought we'd be home after the power was back on - duh) and 1 backpack of toys for each of the kids, and of course my pictures and few sentimental items. Sabrina was there for me and I have never forgotten how much that meant to me, to all of us. It was an incredible thing to have someone so generous in my life.
Mark contacted me in September and invited me to come to Canada to surprise Sabrina for her 40th birthday. When he contacted me he said that Sabrina told him there is no way he could ever surprise her and he racked his brain trying to think of the best surprise he could pull of. I wanted to go so badly, but knew I was undergoing all the tests and did not want to tell him what we suspected. Not until I knew for sure what it was. So I unfortunately had to turn down the invitation and that truly broke my heart. I wanted to go and see her so badly. I promised myself that once I knew what was wrong and was feeling well Wayne and I would plan a surprise trip - and fly to Canada and just up on their doorstep! Then I was diagnosed and knew that dream would be put on hold once again....
WELL - here we are 5 years or so later and I am at a point in my life where I have to face another challenge and again Sabrina being Sabrina, was one of the first of my friends to want to do something. It was hard on her being in Canada and not being here for me physically. Her Fb messages to me were ones of love and concern. She encouraged me to fight and be strong and reminded me that if I beat it once I could do it again. these words helped me in those first few days and I could tell from her writing she was very upset and concerned for me. BUT she was determined she was going to do SOMETHING. And then it came to her - why not do a 50/50 raffle. She had the tickets made and got her husband and friends to sell them.
Tonight I opened a package from Sabrina. The entire time I was trying to open it I was shaking. It was so strange, it was as if all the love that was sealed inside of it was bursting to get out! I finally opted for a scissors because I couldn't tear through the tape on the envelope. The first thing I pulled out was a beautiful compact and a letter from Bri. I won't share the letter because it's between two girlfriends and I will cherish it forever. I hope she knows I will do as she asked and it will always be with me from here on out.
The next thing I opened was a Christmas card. The Card held a check and Sabrina wrote inside of it explaining where the check had come from. Sabrina began selling tickets to everyone she knew and had her husband hustling ticket sales as well. Some friends jumped in and helped and things were looking pretty good. It seems that while selling the tickets for the 50/50 raffle, some of her co-workers and friends chose to write my name on the tickets instead of their own which would increase my chances of actually winning all of the money rather than just receiving 50% of whatever was raised. A total of $925 was raised and my name was pulled from "the hat" from a ticket that was purchased by one of her co-workers. The check for $925 from my Canadian Angels was just an amazing sight to see. I cried the whole time I read the card out loud to Wayne. Then I read it again to myself. I handed Wayne the card and the check and he cried like a baby.
In her card Sabrina went on to tell me that she admired me. That my blog is an inspiration and has changed the way she looks at things and has made her a better person. I can't tell you how good those words made me feel. here I am writing a blog to help me through this journey and all awhile I am helping her. It's an amazing feeling to be blessed this way. Those of you who really know me will know that I don't take friendships lightly. My friends, my true friends are loved like family. Sabrina is one of those friends. We spoke on the phone tonight and I just couldn't find big enough words to thank her for all she has done. Her response was that she wished it could have been more! ARE YOU KIDDING! She has provided for me during two of the most tragic events in my life and has never turned her back on me. She has encouraged complete strangers that only know me as "her friend who needs help", to give money to me. She has made me feel that I have accomplished a great thing by inspiring at least 1 person with my words. She has given me more than I could ever give her in return. But she knows that I love her and cherish our friendship. No matter how many miles apart we are - our hearts beat in sync and for each other. She is my soul sister and I love her for everything she has done and for everything she will continue to do that is good, not just for me but for anyone who ever needs her, I know she will be there.
She plans on coming down South in the Spring and we will get to spend time together. One of my dreams is to one day go to Canada to visit her and allow me to meet some of the people who donated to me. That's going on my wish list and I know it will happen.
So as lucky as I am to have Ellen's Angels here at home - I know I have my Canadian Angels too and that makes me feel twice as blessed.
I love you Sabrina and Mark - and I will always love you!
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| SJM High School Dance Sabrina and Mark top left hand corner Me and Tony in the middle |
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| Sabrina and I ran into each other about a year after graduation at a red light and pulled over and took this photo! |
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| Sabrina and Mark |
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| Sabrina's bleach blonde MADONNA hair and me dark :) |
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| Senior retreat - the tree we hid behind smoking cigerette's with Andrea and Amy - one of my favorite pics |
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| After Katrina Sabrina and Mark visited - we were in the middle of rebuilding our home - first reunion in about 16 years |
Monday, December 20, 2010
Pain Pain go away
Today is only Monday 12/20 but I have to tell you - I have had no pain since Friday morning. Ever since all of this began back in August - I have had a constant pain in my right flank and side. I can't even explain it but the pain is so deep and intense even the pain patches didn't really take it all away - they just dull it. As the months have passed I guess I almost became used to it and it became more of a constant tooth ache. I have had some "breakthrough" pain (that's what the doctors call it) and from time to time especially at bedtime or in the morning when I first get up have had to take a pain pill. Well as of Friday NO PAIN. Not any at all. No dullness, no aches, no nothing. It's as if the pain just went away as fast as it started. This is crazy! I am not complaining, I am just astonished by it that's all. I felt so good this weekend that Saturday we went to the mall and I walked just about the whole thing and then some. Then when we got home we went out for a little while and I was dancing and cutting up, something I have not been able to do since August when I thought I hurt my back. When I say I danced I MEAN I DANCED nonstop for at least 2 hours! I was having such a good time, Wayne even danced! That takes alot, let me tell you! The I just knew when I got home that I would pay for it on Sunday and be hurting like hell. I ended up staying up til almost 4 am on the computer because I hated to go to bed. Finally I did and got up about 10 am Sunday and guess what - NO PAIN. We had Tammy and Bobby Haar stop over for a visit while they were down on the coast. They had their son Robby, his girlfriend and a friend with them. We watched the game (with disgust) and hung out most of the day and NO PAIN! I went to bed around 9 pm and woke up for work today and yep - you guessed it - NO PAIN!
So for the past 3 days I have been PAIN FREE! I hope that tomorrow will make day 4 and so on and so on. This would be the greatest Christmas present if my pain was gone for good - because I have a feeling if the pain is gone - I MUST BE HEALING! I pray this means the chemo is working. I know I have only had 2 treatments, but Dr. Hottie says the regime is one of the strongest he can give and he so happy that I am healthy enough to tolerate it. In fact he can't believe how good I am doing with it! So my next treatment is Dec. 30th and then Jan. 17th I will do a chest CT to compare to my others and we need to see if there is any change. What we want to see is the tumor shrinking or gone (wouldn't that be a miracle) or the same with no change, what we don't want to see is that it is bigger. I told him it won't be bigger, I think I would know if it was. I have no shortness of breath whatsoever, no pain anywhere in my body but especially in my upper back or chest and when he listened to my chest on last Thursday he said I sounded great. I am no longer coughing like I was either when I had that fluid so I think I really am improving.
Let's just keep praying - we never stop praying. I am praying for me to heal, and for God to bless all those who pray for me. Fr Seelos is still by my side making me fight. And I ask him every day to help me get through this and to watch over all those praying so hard for my recovery.
Now I will add this to my prayers - Fr Seelos and my dearest God in heaven, thank you for giving me a pain free day and I ask that tomorrow be the same, please continue to heal me and make me whole again. Thank you in Jesus' name - Amen
So for the past 3 days I have been PAIN FREE! I hope that tomorrow will make day 4 and so on and so on. This would be the greatest Christmas present if my pain was gone for good - because I have a feeling if the pain is gone - I MUST BE HEALING! I pray this means the chemo is working. I know I have only had 2 treatments, but Dr. Hottie says the regime is one of the strongest he can give and he so happy that I am healthy enough to tolerate it. In fact he can't believe how good I am doing with it! So my next treatment is Dec. 30th and then Jan. 17th I will do a chest CT to compare to my others and we need to see if there is any change. What we want to see is the tumor shrinking or gone (wouldn't that be a miracle) or the same with no change, what we don't want to see is that it is bigger. I told him it won't be bigger, I think I would know if it was. I have no shortness of breath whatsoever, no pain anywhere in my body but especially in my upper back or chest and when he listened to my chest on last Thursday he said I sounded great. I am no longer coughing like I was either when I had that fluid so I think I really am improving.
Let's just keep praying - we never stop praying. I am praying for me to heal, and for God to bless all those who pray for me. Fr Seelos is still by my side making me fight. And I ask him every day to help me get through this and to watch over all those praying so hard for my recovery.
Now I will add this to my prayers - Fr Seelos and my dearest God in heaven, thank you for giving me a pain free day and I ask that tomorrow be the same, please continue to heal me and make me whole again. Thank you in Jesus' name - Amen
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Give Life to your relationships from Joel Osteen
Give Life to your relationships
Relationships are just as much about what you have to give as what you are hoping to receive.
Remember, you have so much to contribute to your relationships. Give your spouse and the people in your life something to draw from. You be the model of change. Don't push people to change; instead, lead by example and by investing good seeds. Dig deep within yourself and sow life into your relationships.
When you start speaking what God says about you, toxic thoughts cannot take root. God's Word provides a hedge of protection around your heart and mind. Always remember, you are not who people say you are; you are who God says you are. People may say, "You're never going to be successful." God says, "Everything you touch will prosper and succeed." People may tell you, "You're never going to get well." God says, "I'm restoring health back unto you." Somebody may say, "It looks like your family is never going to get on the right track." God Word says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." People may say, "Your situation looks impossible." God says, "With Me, all things are possible!"
Relationships are just as much about what you have to give as what you are hoping to receive.
Remember, you have so much to contribute to your relationships. Give your spouse and the people in your life something to draw from. You be the model of change. Don't push people to change; instead, lead by example and by investing good seeds. Dig deep within yourself and sow life into your relationships.
When you start speaking what God says about you, toxic thoughts cannot take root. God's Word provides a hedge of protection around your heart and mind. Always remember, you are not who people say you are; you are who God says you are. People may say, "You're never going to be successful." God says, "Everything you touch will prosper and succeed." People may tell you, "You're never going to get well." God says, "I'm restoring health back unto you." Somebody may say, "It looks like your family is never going to get on the right track." God Word says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." People may say, "Your situation looks impossible." God says, "With Me, all things are possible!"
Monday, December 13, 2010
My Moment
I can't find the word. The one word that would apply to what I experienced Saturday night. I have said it over and over again that I felt humbled by the love shown to me and thankful that I am so blessed. I was honored to be with so many wonderful people, family, friends, and strangers alike. It really was like an out of body experience for me. So surreal. I remember looking around the room and saying to myself, "STOP!", Ellen you need to be in this moment 110%, right here, right now and just take it all in." I actually did take it all in, I took a really deep breathe and at that moment all of the love in that room came right into my lungs and I held it there for a second, as I exhaled I thanked God for that breathe and for the opportunity to stand there and witness a room full of people who were all there for one reason - ME.
I have always had "friends", and I have always been "liked". But when you find out that you are truly LOVED for the person you are - whoa, talk about a MOMENT. I was raised to be good to people, to care for others and to always help others when I can. It's how I was raised, it's how we (my brother and sister) were raised. I have tried to raise my own children this way as well. I remember Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, cooked for 40 people or more sometimes. My Grandfather invited everyone that had no where to go. He refused to let any of his friends be alone on a Holiday and sometimes even invited strangers to eat with us. He was a generous man. When I was about 10 some fisherman pulled up to the wharf by the Marina. I remember my Paw Paw talking to them as they pumped gas. I was watching from upstairs in the rest. A few minutes later my Paw Paw came upstairs and handed me a piece of paper and told me to give it to my Mi Mi. I ran upstairs (where we lived) and gave her the paper. I remember she smiled and told me to go and tell him it would take her about an hour or two. I ran back down and relayed the message. By that time Paw Paw had breakfast cooking, fried fish lol and coffee. These 2 men were sitting at a table and whispering. They were dirty looking and smelled very bad. My Paw Paw fed them and talked with them. When my Mi Mi got back she gave my Paw Paw some bags. He had sent her to get them a part for the boat that they needed, changes of clothes, and blankets. I am not sure but I can bet she probably had bought some soap and deodorant and such as well for them. I think that was the first time I ever saw a grown man actually cry and hug another man. I don't recall what the circumstances were, or how Paw Paw knew they had no money and needed help. I don't know if they were legit or pulled one over on him, but it doesn't matter. My Paw Paw did what Paw Paw would do - he would give whether you asked for his help, denied you needed it or whatever. He didn't help others because he had to, he did it because he wanted to. If he knew he could do something to make things better for you - it was done. He never expected pay back, he never wanted a thank you. He just wanted YOU to have what you needed to get through whatever it was you had to. His generosity and love for other human beings was incredible. This is just one of many many stories I could share about him.
(I really hope Mom doesn't read this post tonight but I have to write it.) Saturday night was a Paw Paw moment for me. I physically felt him there with me when I took that microphone to speak. It was a moment of me needing help and someone giving it to me whether I asked for it or not. It was a matter of strangers donating money and not knowing who Ellen was, but making it a point to walk over, introduce themselves, wish me the best and then tell me how evident it was that I am loved by so many. It was looking over at my husband, Mom, and Pop and family and thinking how much this night was helping us and that we could actually enjoy the night without feeling guilty about having a great time. It was a Paw Paw moment because no one, NOT one person in that room expects (ed) anyone in my family to do anything in return except FOCUS ON ME GETTING BETTER
I wish that you could all have that Paw Paw Moment. That moment like I had Saturday night. The Moment that slaps you silly and says this is what it's all about you big dummy! Doing for others, giving what you can no matter how much or how little you think it is. Recognizing friendship and appreciation for one another and wishing only the best to those around you. Helping someone whose fallen and just needs to be picked up. Everything good that you have done will eventually come back to you and it will be a Moment that you will never forget. Thank you for giving me mine!
I have always had "friends", and I have always been "liked". But when you find out that you are truly LOVED for the person you are - whoa, talk about a MOMENT. I was raised to be good to people, to care for others and to always help others when I can. It's how I was raised, it's how we (my brother and sister) were raised. I have tried to raise my own children this way as well. I remember Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, cooked for 40 people or more sometimes. My Grandfather invited everyone that had no where to go. He refused to let any of his friends be alone on a Holiday and sometimes even invited strangers to eat with us. He was a generous man. When I was about 10 some fisherman pulled up to the wharf by the Marina. I remember my Paw Paw talking to them as they pumped gas. I was watching from upstairs in the rest. A few minutes later my Paw Paw came upstairs and handed me a piece of paper and told me to give it to my Mi Mi. I ran upstairs (where we lived) and gave her the paper. I remember she smiled and told me to go and tell him it would take her about an hour or two. I ran back down and relayed the message. By that time Paw Paw had breakfast cooking, fried fish lol and coffee. These 2 men were sitting at a table and whispering. They were dirty looking and smelled very bad. My Paw Paw fed them and talked with them. When my Mi Mi got back she gave my Paw Paw some bags. He had sent her to get them a part for the boat that they needed, changes of clothes, and blankets. I am not sure but I can bet she probably had bought some soap and deodorant and such as well for them. I think that was the first time I ever saw a grown man actually cry and hug another man. I don't recall what the circumstances were, or how Paw Paw knew they had no money and needed help. I don't know if they were legit or pulled one over on him, but it doesn't matter. My Paw Paw did what Paw Paw would do - he would give whether you asked for his help, denied you needed it or whatever. He didn't help others because he had to, he did it because he wanted to. If he knew he could do something to make things better for you - it was done. He never expected pay back, he never wanted a thank you. He just wanted YOU to have what you needed to get through whatever it was you had to. His generosity and love for other human beings was incredible. This is just one of many many stories I could share about him.
(I really hope Mom doesn't read this post tonight but I have to write it.) Saturday night was a Paw Paw moment for me. I physically felt him there with me when I took that microphone to speak. It was a moment of me needing help and someone giving it to me whether I asked for it or not. It was a matter of strangers donating money and not knowing who Ellen was, but making it a point to walk over, introduce themselves, wish me the best and then tell me how evident it was that I am loved by so many. It was looking over at my husband, Mom, and Pop and family and thinking how much this night was helping us and that we could actually enjoy the night without feeling guilty about having a great time. It was a Paw Paw moment because no one, NOT one person in that room expects (ed) anyone in my family to do anything in return except FOCUS ON ME GETTING BETTER
I wish that you could all have that Paw Paw Moment. That moment like I had Saturday night. The Moment that slaps you silly and says this is what it's all about you big dummy! Doing for others, giving what you can no matter how much or how little you think it is. Recognizing friendship and appreciation for one another and wishing only the best to those around you. Helping someone whose fallen and just needs to be picked up. Everything good that you have done will eventually come back to you and it will be a Moment that you will never forget. Thank you for giving me mine!
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