Memory Nudgers

I started today with my simple spider and web head piece and stockings with glued on roaches (I had on regular clothes too, I promise) and headed to work. My decorations were subtle, but those that noticed smiled and seemed to just enjoy the playfulness of the day. Only a few of decorated ourselves for this 31st day of October.

I took a few minutes to check out a favorite site, and a recent post touched on a memory.

Picture from TheKitchn.com

Tootsie Rolls!!!

These are homemade, you can check it out at TheKitchn...

My Grandfather's birthday was October 31st. I remember tootsie rolls being among one of his favorite candies (and butterscotch).  I still have a tootsie roll cardboard bank that he gave me when I was a child.

Halloween was always spent trick or treating the neighborhood, followed by a quick treck to my grandparent's house at the end of the evening - just a mere four blocks away.

My brother and I would always go to the door, ring the bell and get to giggling at the thoughts of "tricking" my grandpa, by him not knowing it was us.  I am sure he always knew, and I am pretty sure we were always the last. And we always received the count - many times in the 100 visitor area. Our neighborhood was rocked with door to door candy beggers.

We would visit for just a bit, after collecting our candy. Then headed home, many times in the first flurries of the first snow for the season.

Tonight, as we prepared our plates at Wednesday night supper (in the South, many churches still have Wednesday night supper followed by a quick presentation), they had a dessert table set up. Ice Cream and toppings. I usually skip on the ice cream, but just could not as I noticed the caramel topping.

Another memory nudged of my Grandfather. Really, of my Grandparents - Grandma did the fixing, but I truly believe that Grandpa set the structure: ALWAYS vanilla ice cream and ALWAYS caramel topping.

So today, an easy day to remember to remember, had some subtle memories nudged beyond that of costumes and tricks and treats.

It was a good day and the vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup hit the spot!

My brother and myself, probably 1978ish...

My Grandfather, many years earlier, on a vacation to Texas

Hopes For Others

I have been working on a project lately. It is another blog. But not a blog for me.


A couple months ago, I shared the journey our niece and her son are on (and his dad – they divorced quite a few years ago, and I don’t want to come across as disregarding his part and his pain in this journey, but I notice I mainly refer to my neice). You can read that post Here or you can read his story here.

In reading online one day, I came across a foundation. Noah’s Hand’s of Hope. How beautiful some people are!!

They, too, are traveling this road that Leigh’s Syndrome is taking them down. In the process they have set up this foundation. In addition to accepting volunteers and donations, one can submit a child’s name. They support the family in many ways. From the child that is fighting the disease, to their siblings and to the family as a whole. Prayers, cards, calls, gift certificates. This foundation really touches suffering families in every corner of their lives.

I submitted Curt’s name and received a quick email from Kate. What a sweet person she is! One item was missing from the form though: a blog or a caring page or some way for the committee to verify Curt does exist and that his condition is real and this journey is true. A way to protect the foundation from being lied to.

It is sad that there are people out there, that will spend so much of other peoples energy scamming groups that are doing a wonderful act of reaching out to others.

The blog is up and posts are being made. Writing a post as if from a 6 year old is not all that easy. Our niece is busy with caring for him and two jobs and dealing with all the emotions that come with this journey, so extra time for her, well, needs to be spent loving on her Super C!

And while it has been a little odd and hard to post another's journey, there has been an award, other than having a way to share Curt’s story with distant friends, but in a way I would not have considered.

His mom told me she looks daily to see what is new with her and Curt.

Now I don’t share anything she has not approved or provided, but it seems that seeing the pictures and reading your story with someone else’s words can work. Can maybe give you another perspective? Maybe...

Another friend of the family said she had read it and oohed on how much more positive it was than the bits of a story here and a bit there.

It is so easy to hear the hurdles and miss those simple blessings that get lost in the less positive aspects of any day.

So while I struggled with the “should I have started it this way” I was encouraged to keep the pace.

You can visit Curt’s Corner here to read his story and maybe follow along with them. And if you will, include them in your prayers?

Also, there are few links on the side bar. One is Noah’s Hand’s of Hope, what a wonderful example of reaching out to others during one’s own time of crisis.

Another is the Tiny Sparrow Foundation. I stumbled upon it one day and was amazed by the photos. This not-for profit recruits volunteers that set up photo sessions with families whose children are terminally ill. Amazing pictures that will tug at your heart.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

He gently leads those who have young

~Isaiah 40:11