who are your heroes? have you let them know?

i have been back on campus for a few weeks now and busy preparing for junior league to come and work at the school, then busy preparing for our teachers to return, and today we got busy preparing for our students return on monday!

a few days ago i did the ALS bucket challenge as a way to raise awareness of ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease. if you haven't heard about that yet, you've been hiding under a rock or something! i also donated- if you don't really know anything about ALS, please go to http://www.jp2mri.org/capital-campaign.htm. to see how you can donate toward research using adult stem cells. Please consider donating.

although i donated, it seemed rather sterile because i knew the money was, in a sense, going into a big nebulous hole where some fuzzy face would eventually be able to do more testing and research. it wasn't personal.

i mentioned in my previous post that it made me think about my friends who suffer from chronic diseases that are little-known. i was going through my friend lists, and thinking about several of them even today because i cannot shake the thought. i have friends who are struggling with debilitating diseases. lyme disease-joint pain that travels between joints, swelling, meningitis, paralysis, numbness....you can read about one of my dear friend's struggles here-in her husband's words...MD-muscular dystrophy, which comes in many forms; making your body feel weak as if it is aging all-too-quickly....fibromyalgia- weak, sore, tender joints, muscles, tendons;fatigue, anxiety, depression... crohn's- affecting the digestive tract- constantly aware of what they eat and drink, crippling cramps, removal of portions of the small intestines..HIV..heart disease...not to mention friends and family who have gone through and beaten or been taken too soon by cancers....i could go on, but the truth is that for many, you wouldn't know it to look at them because it doesn't always show on the outside. some of my friends go to the doctor for answers, but the answers just aren't there. some of them go through procedures and treatments, but are offered little relief and even more questions arise.

not only do i hold these friends who suffer in high regards, but their families are also heroes. the husbands and wives, children, sisters and brothers...they are the ones who watch on and try to understand; they would do anything to help ease the pain of their loved ones. they are the ones who try not to complain, try to keep the brave face so that they can be the strong ones...

i am thankful for these friends because most of them have deep-seeded faith in God, and while he may or may not take away the physical aches and pains, he provides a certain relief for the soul. even at that though, i know that some of my dear friends go through some very dark times and i believe that God is okay with all of the questions and sometimes the anger that comes from difficult times. these friends are my heroes. they are the unsung heroes who strive to keep on the brave face while inside they are hurting and crying alone when no one else is watching. i LOVE these people.

the challenge made me acutely aware of how much i don't let them know that. it also made me think about the fact that while it is nice to join in and try to contribute to the great cause of finding cures, for me it is far more important to take it down to the personal level. although i cannot make much of a dent in their doctor bills, or pay for their expensive treatments or trial medications...i can still make a difference. i can do something small. a phone call. a letter. a gift card.

i could shout from the rooftops, but it wouldn't take the disease out of this world. so in the meantime, i want to be more aware, more intentional about making a difference in small ways-in very personal and relational ways.

i challenge you to scroll through your list of friends and take note of those you know are struggling in ways that nobody else really knows about, and do something out of the ordinary for them. then make an effort to make the 'out of the ordinary' ordinary. you may be the one who gives them the encouragement that they need to be someone's hero.

Lindsey, Chris and Eliana, Linda, Amy, David, Jewels, Kristin and Kyle, Chris and Robin, Jean and Seth, Jill, Brandy, Susan, Mindy,Thomas, Susie: YOU ARE MY HEROES! (i'm certain i have missed some, and i am guessing that there are some i am simply unaware of).

God is in control even when i don't understand or like the circumstances...and i will praise him because his plans...his ways are higher than mine and i trust in him!

julie