“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.”- It's Humbling to be blessed with so many that have given their TIME to me!

I just wanted to share this quick little message of hope and thoughtfulness for the day- as they are shared with me (via email).

Words to live by for sure.  Read them a couple of times, because they are powerful words that speak profoundly to remind us to give generously and without a lot of pomp and circumstancen or the expectaton of being thanked.  The best gift of all is one that is given annonymously and with a grateful heart for all the blessings we have.   We should always be grateful for all that we are blessed with.  I certainly have much to be grateful for- including all my 'IV Chicks' that have given so generously with their TIME to and TALENTS to take care of me (spoil me actually) on treatment days.   It was more than I had imagined that anyone would sacrifice and do for me and it is truly a blessed and humbling experience to have that much of 'people' to be there for me/us in my time of need.  I can only hope to be able to pay the generosity, sacrifice and kindness forward that they have given to me. 

I've listed my 'IV Chicks" before, but while they ask for no accolades and or credit, the flip side of the thought of the day applies to me- I am making sure that I don't forget all who I take and receive from.  I have a very generous heart to:

Michele Auchter and her two friends Renee and Nikki
Beth Hess and Susan Moore
Stacey Lemick

While they seek no accolades or any kind of recognition, I still wanted to give it to them, because they are here week after week when I am in treatment, despite the chaos and obligations of their own lives- since January!

Then there are all the people that have made meals- Denise Brennaman from my church gets the trophy for most meals made right after Cathy Florimbio who has provided dinner just about every Wednesday since February.  Actually Cathy Florimbio gets much of the credit for getting ALL of the volunteering going and organized.  She set up this Blog for me (THANKS CATHY!  A great place for me to freely ramble as I do best!) AND the Volunteer Spot where all the volunteering is coordinated by easily communicating the needs to all the friends and supporters from my church that have signed up to help, and providing an easy way for them in turn to sign up to help with that activity.  Since I don't drive- I need an awful lot of 'chauffeurs' to take me to all my appointments and errands etc.  KEN POINDEXTER, my new 'lymie friend'- fellow 'slymed with lyme' buddy- takes the first place trophy for driving me around the most.  He is truly a friend and saint as he even took me SHOPPING for a  dress for my cousins wedding!  Something most guys have NO INTEREST or PATIENCE in doing!  We had fun though playing our own version of 'Say YES to the DRESS!' and it was very helpful to have someone who would HONESTLY tell me if I looked like a blob in the dress or not- or really more like I am pregnant as heck- which of course I am not.  But thanks to my body storing fluid and packing on lbs to protect my body while its going through IV therapy (plus all the drugs that cause weight gain) I've literally gone from a size 6 in November to a size 14/16 at present.  It has been a lot to adjust to.  I realize a lot of people are struggling at this size everyday and can only dream of being a size 6- I am one of those now too and I sympathize greatly with the challenges that this additional weight brings to just everyday living.  It certainly doesn't help with my fatigue and stamina!  So anyone, back to dress shopping- NOT EASY when you are looking the way I am lately.  But we managed to find something that worked, and 3 hours and another few hundred dollars in clothes later (not to mention that embarrassing trip to the 'unmentionables section to get some much needed items to help the dress look reasonable on me!) we were finally on our way - Ken was FREE from the twilight zone of Macy's.  Admit it, its a lot like Vegas.  You totally lose track of time, everytime you finish in one area, your drawn to another due to a sale or the sudden recollection that you need something else that you've forgotten to put on your 'to do' list.  Ken really has been a trooper taking me around to all my appts AND just hanging out with me getting me out of the house- and its been great.   I've made a new LYMIE friend, someone who REALLY understands what I am going through, AND I've gotten around to all the places I need to go.  On top of all that- just as an added bonus- since Ken has lyme too (and unfortunately for him I forced him to accept that he has a flare up again to contend with and stop denying) we've started going to Accupuncture together and he even goes to the same holistic practitioner (Linda Potts, Healing Waters) that I do and seems to like her so far!   So its been wonderful to not just have a chauffeur, but a new friend who understands my daily ailes and complaints- and doesn't think I am a wuss or just a complainer!  AND, I imagine one day I will be returning the favor as I get better and Ken seems to get worse, he might be needing rides and other things from ME when he gets further into treatment or is perhaps cut off from driving!  We joke now that we are the 'lymed leading the lymed'- and perhaps we BOTH should be cut off from driving, but so far he hasn't hit anyone or killed us- so we're doing good!  JUST KIDDING! 

But being cut off from driving has been a very difficult thing for me to adjust to- not being able to just jump in a car and run and errand or go somewhere when I want or need to- that's a Freedom that most take for granted, and Ken has truly made the loss of that ability easier because most of the time he's there and available for a needed ride- and that again is a HUGE sacrifice and gift of ones TIME and I will certainly never forget his kindness and generosity- and can only hope to pay it forward one day given the chance.

So inspired by the 'Thought of the Day' I got recently, I thank all the people who have been so very kind and generous with me in one way or another to help us through this very difficult time.  I wish I could name them ALL here, but I don't think I even have the complete list yet- but am working on it!  In the meantime, here are some other wonderful people who have gone above and beyond the call for help to me and my family!  Please keep them and all the others I've mentioned in this email in your prayers to bless them in return- as they have blessed me!

Liz Parotte (Holy Family Catholic Community Church)
Teri O'Neil
Jim Grothe
Ann Massey
Becca Thompson
Lori Benedetto
Stacie Lemick
Sharon Baharoff
Mercedes Loudermilk
Laurie Szukalski
Vivian Hunsley
Jeanne Smith (help with rides)
Robin Biser
Kathy Reese
and so many others!   THANK YOU TO YOU ALL!  And God bless you as he has blessed me with YOU!

Blessings,

Mary