I would like to start by saying how thankful I am for the country we live in and for all the freedom and opportunities we have. There are times I have taken them for granted, but this holiday always helps me remember how lucky I am. I am grateful for the brave men and women in the armed forces for their service and sacrifice.
This year I was given an amazing opportunity. It all started about a month ago when I received a text from Rick at Teton Cancer. He said they were helping a gentleman who was putting a float in the parade for cancer awareness. Rick said he had told the man about the Foundation, and it might be a nice idea for us to pair up. Rick told me the gentleman was excited about the idea and gave me his number. After a few phone conversations, we got everything coordinated for the parade.
I met with the family early in the morning and they were all so friendly and nice. I talked to a couple of the family members that were cancer survivors. Their strength and courage was so inspiring to me. I was so grateful to be able to be in the parade with this wonderful family.
We began our journey, and everyone had a large amount of candy to throw out to the crowd. It was so cute to see all the little kids with their bags to fill with parade candy. Everyone on our float was throwing candy to the kids in front of the line, so I decided I would try to get some to the kids in the back. Now before you cringe thinking about my throwing accuracy, I got off the float and would walk over and hand them the candy. At one point, a little girl in front went to pick up some of the candy that was thrown, and three young boys rushed in and grabbed it all. The look of sadness on her face broke my heart. So, I walked over and gave her a big handful of candy. The smile on her face was priceless.
There were so many wonderful moments of the parade. It was fun to see some of my old friends and new ones I have met through the Foundation. It was fun throwing candy to the little kids and seeing the smiles on their faces. I especially enjoyed seeing all the families making some terrific memories together. But the most rewarding part by far were the times I would walk by someone and they would tell me they are a cancer survivor. “Thank you so much for what you are doing and the message you are spreading,” one lady told me. There were several of these and it made me appreciate so much the generosity and support the Foundation has received from so many compassionate people. I know it made my Angel Shannon happy also. I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
Next week: 2922
P.S. To all the guys from basketball that I threw candy to, that counts as a pass. Okay, maybe it’s not a basketball, but it still counts as a pass.