Relay For Life

Our Relay For Life event began yesterday. This past week I had not been excited about going. It seems that it is always the same four or six of us who go and walk. Not that we aren't the most fun four or six, it's just that it gets old. It has also been so hot this week with temperatures in the 90s.


Our blessing was that it stormed on Thursday night bringing cooler daytime temperatures Friday. I was scheduled to walk in the early evening with my Metcalf group. This is Daniel's first year participating with a team. His Costa Rica Zoo Group was bonding at the Relay. Angelique really wanted to go this year and see what it was all about. She went with me about 7:00. We walked with our team mates, we ate, we bought a glow light bracelet. She was amazed by the number of people out on the track. She also like checking out all the signs at the campsites. Our Metcalf group had a bronze award for raising 2060.00 this year. One group the Mardi Gras raised 17,000 and had a Platinum award. Isn't that fantastic!


All day the weather report was predicting thunderstorms and rain for the day. We only had a little rain in the morning. Around 9:00 pm we could see lightening off in the distance and Relay volunteers had come by sites to tell everyone to that a storm was 45 minutes away. My daughter had to be up early Saturday for an event so I brought her home about 10:00. At 10:00 when we returned home there was still no storm and I knew Daniel's team was determined to stay the night. It was getting cool and Mr. Minimalist hadn't brought a sleeping bag or sweatshirt. Doug had gathered a jacket and the outdoor ed. sleeping bag for Daniel. So after bringing Angelique home I went back out to take Daniel his stuff. I returned back home, Doug and I sat down to watch a movie, and the phone rings. Guess who?! Daniel. The Relay volunteers are telling everyone to go home because the storm is suppose to have hail. They will start back up in the morning at 6:00 am. So off I go to get Daniel.


It seemed like Daniel had a good time. Their group had tie dyed their shirts earlier in the week and they looked cool. I saw them getting their picture taken as a group and Daniel said that one of the parents took a picture of him with Darth Vader. There is a Star Wars group who has participated for the last three years. One of the men is married to one of our team members. They have some kind of Star Wars club or organization. They have authentic Star Wars Storm Trooper Costumes. It's very interesting. Patty don't share this info with Chris.


Anyway, it is alway a fun time with friends and a sad time as we think of those who have lost the cancer battle. Just in the five years that we have been at Metcalf we have lost two wonderful co-workers to cancer. Three months before one co-worker died he walked the survivor lap at Relay and became an honorary "Red Hot Mama". (Now we are Metcalf, Paws For a Cause). I do have to say that I was so impressed by their dignity, will to live, and desire to come to work and be with us for as long as they could. They were such a good example of living life with fullness in spite of a terminal illness.

Daniel is still sleeping and the rain is still dripping. Timothy and I are heading back out to see what's going on at Relay and participate in closing ceremonies if there is one.