Give thanks. Walk.

Two weekends ago (17 November 2012), our family participated in the St. Jude's Give Thanks Walk here in St. Louis.  As Bry knows, I was just eating up the fact that... we were spending time as a family, helping to raise funds for these sick little children, getting out in Nature, getting into the Thanksgiving spirit, taking part in our community and walking 6K :0)  Win-win-win-win.... 

Thankfully we bundled up because it was a nice but pretty chilly morning, the kids were good sports.  Alex napped for most of the way, Brie rode for awhile then walked alongside of the stroller.  Before we'd even walked a mile I could tell my almost-six-month-pregnant-self was going to give me some grief so we walked at a pretty leisurely pace. (It gave me time to take some pictures along the way of beautiful Crêve Coeur Park, the cute signs that dotted the path, the rowing teams on the lake, and all of the cheerful lime green paraphernalia )  The goal was not to win, but to walk :0)  I'm pretty sure that we were last to finish.  Ironically enough, our neighbor Zach was the 1st place male runner!  First and last, gotta love it.  In any case, it was a delightful morning, and fun to think of all of my siblings participating in the same cause in SLC, Utah.  What a great way to kick off Thanksgiving!

An ode to St. Jude.

During the Summer of 2004 my youngest brother, Tim, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shortly after his diagnosis, he and my Mom moved to Memphis, TN so that he could get treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

My parents flew me out for Thanksgiving that year. I was truly touched by what a special place they have there. Here are a few pictures from that trip...

Tim and me in front of the St. Jude statue.

Celebrating after finding out that Tim was DONE with chemo therapy. He wasn't home for good for another few months, but this was definitely an exciting bench mark.


My Mom and me outside of the Ronald McDonald House,
just before having Thanksgiving with the kids and families there.

A little shopping at Collierville. Tim had to wear a mask
whenever he went out since he had little to no immune system.
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In any case, a few months ago (2 Aug- 3 Aug 2010) when my Parents asked if our little family could drive from St. Louis to Memphis to meet up with them there for one of Tim's appointments. We threw some bags together and were on the road. (Thank you Mom and Dad for making our stay possible.)

Brie coincidentally had guitar PJ's.
Perfect for night's stay in Memphis :0)

The view from the Hotel elevator.


The hospital is vibrant and colorful...every wall is covered with murals and artwork, much of which is done by the kids themselves (click on the pictures below to enlarge)....

I was touched by these ABC's. It's amazing what faith and perspective these kids have. And I love how much the Lord is very much recognized here.



I thought this collection was eye-opening, literally.
It was an important glimpse into the lives of these kids.

Tim and Brie with one of his favorite nurses/secretaries.




Visiting the fund-raising gift shop.

“I’d rather have a million people give me a dollar than one give me a million. Then you’ve got a million people involved.”
---Danny Thomas, Founder of St. Jude



Driving around town...








Dinner at Charles Vergo's Rendezvous Restaurant


(Another view from the elevator as we
were heading out and heading home.)

It was a quick trip but a special one. It was fun to drive around Memphis, eat some BBQ and be with family, but it was especially neat to walk around the hospital with Bry and Brie in company. I'm grateful for the wonderful, giving people there are in this World. I love when I see the Lord at work through individuals around me. Even though this journey has been a challenging one for Tim, I know that he would agree that our family has been so blessed by the time he and Mom spent at St. Jude. It's amazing how the Lord can turn ALL adversity into great blessings, if we turn to Him. God is good.