March for Babies: The Joy Troupe Challenge

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I know, as always, that each of you has causes that are near and dear to your heart, and I respect that. I am writing now to ask you to spare a moment to think about one that is near and dear to mine, and that is healthy babies.

Never has there been a happier moment in my life than the moment when I first held my beautiful, healthy, full term child. (Okay, at 41.1 weeks gestation, he was a little past “term.”) The March of Dimes has as their mission to make that moment possible for all babies some day- to be born healthy and full term. In support of that mission, they conduct an annual fund and awareness raising event called the March for Babies.

YOU CAN HELP! Join a walk near you by visiting the March for Babies page. Invite everyone you know to walk with you. Or just make a donation in support of someone who is walking. (Keep reading- I have a proposition for you!)

As of this writing, the March for Babies (April 25) is 53 days away. I am pledging (right here, right now, in front of the internet) to walk 100 miles by 4/25/2010. (Ian will join me for a great many of these miles.)

I am pledging that I will personally donate 25 cents for each of the 100 miles I walk. If, for some reason, I fall short of 100 miles, I will donate one dollar for every mile I DON’T walk. (Thar’s motivation for ya…)

I will post here, in this blog, photos and stories of our training walks. If we were to walk those 100 miles consecutively, I could walk from my home to Gettysburg, PA, and I’ll be charting my virtual course as I log my miles, as well. I hope you’ll join me (literally and figuratively!) on my trip.

Here’s where you come in: Make your own pledge. Can you walk 50 miles in 50 days to help save babies? How about 25? You can kill two birds with one stone- let everyone know you are walking to help save babies, AND get in shape so you can enjoy the summer fun even more. I am challenging all Joy Makin’ Mamas and Papas everywhere, whether you are Joy Troupe members or not, to join our team (or start your own) and help us make a difference.

If you are not walking in a March, or you don’t feel up to making a mile pledge of your own, I am asking all of you to help me and Ian save babies by pledging your own dollar amount (I don’t care if it’s a penny a mile, but… maybe you could see your way clear to a nickel at least?) to donate for each mile we walk while we “train” for the march for Babies. You can donate online by clicking on our badge, below, or, yes, you can donate via cash or check and I’ll turn it in on 4/25 when we go marching, marching…

www.meghangray.com
More blog posts like this one at Semele’s Riches Blog

Goodbye to the Wise and Wonderful Betty Gray

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Mary Elizabeth Gray
(The Wise and Wonderful Betty Gray)
Feb 3 1917-Feb 16 2010

Grandma hated to say goodbye. In fact, she’d usually just wave a hand at us and disappear, tearfully, into the house when it was time for us to go. It made her too sad to say a formal goodbye to us. So I suppose, in a way, that it is fitting that I’ve been unable to compose my thoughts in farewell to her.

I know the thought of me without words is like a day without air, but in the case of my grandmother I have been finding it hard to speak. It’s not that I have nothing to say. Quite simply, the opposite is true. I have so much to say about her that it’s hard to get anything out.

We, her family, have all been slowly releasing her since she suffered a stroke in 2008. The moment when she finally was released was long in coming, fully expected, and, in some ways, a relief. But no matter how tenuous her grip on life had become, it was clear that her love for us wavered not a dot. And, even when you know someone was suffering, it is hard to know that this world now holds one less person who loves you. And the task of passing that love on is a staggering responsibility.

I am not sure I can adequately express what my grandmother’s example has meant to me in my life. Certainly, we were close. Beyond that, however, there have been times in my life when she, and only she, was able to convey that she understood me and what I was going through without any awkwardness. To speak simply and touch the truth without giving pain is a gift. I sincerely hope she has inspired me to be like her.

You can find her obituary here. Or, like me, you can plant some yellow daisies this spring and think, fondly, of the woman who said so often, “I’ll take five children to one adult, any day.” Those of you who met her, loved her. Those who did not missed out on a wonderful opportunity.

www.meghangray.com
More blog posts like this one at Semele’s Riches Blog