MMM - I am so hungry right now and I'm trying to be really good and not eat so late, but my hunger has inspired my Love Thursday post.
In-N-Out Burger.
double-double animal style
fries
x-LG iced tea - no lemon or sugar
Is there any better food in the world? Certainly there is no better burger, and no better fries. And, almost as good, the service ALWAYS is done with a smile, and it is ALWAYS right.
As always, Love Thursday brought to you by Chookooloonks.
Even early on, big sister was right there for little brother. I love how her hands are pressed just tightly enough to comfort him.
See more Love Thursday at Chookaloonks.
Amazing how a light can shine in the darkest of times...
May, 2002 - far and away the most difficult period in our lives. A whirlwind of circumstances, the likes of which we had never seen before, and hope to never see again.
The one which matters here though is that Grant had just been diagnosed with autism a few weeks prior to Owen's birth. At that time, Grant was completely in his own world; you had to be right in his face to get him to even respond.
But here, Grant is holding Owen, his newborn brother - is that a look of love on his face? A look of caring? Certainly, on my face, it's a look of hope.
See more Love Thursday at Chookaloonks.
Good 'ol Love Thursday is back, thanks to Chookooloonks.
This is Owen on his 1st birthday - think he loved his cake? What a great day that was - lots of family, food, and fun.
Isn't there something just magical about 1st birthdays? We've used all our 1st birthdays up now and we're on to bigger numbers now. But, we still get to enjoy the 1st birthdays of friends and families children - welcome to the world of cake, candles, ice cream and presents!
I just happened to run across a post proclaiming today 'Love Thursday'. Well, how can you argue with that? Besides, it gave me a good excuse to rummage through some pictures.
How does this picture portray love, you ask? On the right is my daughter, Cassidy. On the left is Mr. S (for privacy), the director of Missions at our church. Mr. S. is presenting Cassidy with the 1st annual "On a Mission" award, given to one who has stepped out of their comfort zone, out of their day to day life, to make a difference in our world.
A few years back, not long after Grant was diagnosed with autism, Cassidy began to make things. At first, it was 'Dad, let's make something out of wood.' 'Dad, let's make something out of cardboard.' 'Dad, let's make something with this feather, glue, and paper' You get the idea... She also started making bracelets with little kids' beads. Not long after, she said, 'Mom & Dad, I want to sell my things out in the front, like a garage sale. I want to raise money to help Grant'. tears
So, we would put a card table out by the sidewalk and she would set up all of the things she had made. Now, we don't live on a very busy street, so aside from the occasional neighbor or jogger walking by, sales were very small. She was discouraged.
Staci saw that Cassidy had an eye for making these bracelets and offered to take her to the bead store to see what they could find. The rest is history. Once Cassidy figured out that she could get really nice beads (and whatever else goes on jewelry) and people (ladies) would buy them, there was no stopping her. At first, it was the card table out in front. The new jewelry helped, but still not enough foot traffic. Next up, the Christmas-time Dickens' Faire at our church. She bought half of a booth with a good friend of ours and sold her bracelets. Now we're talking! I think she sold about $400 worth of bracelets that first time, Christmas, 2004. Last year, she had her own booth and did a couple of other shows as well. She made around $8-900 last year; with a few other gifts (including the On a Mission award) she gave well over $1000 to Cure Autism Now. This year, her room has turned into a jewelry factory. She now makes necklaces, watches, earrings, you name it. Oh yeah, she's 11.
So, this is my story of love today. Cassidy has spent countless hours making this jewelry, and always with one thing in mind: She loves her brother so much and she will do anything she can to help him and other kids with autism. God bless her.
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