Future Plans

Its the end of the month and I am much happier now. My work load is 99% complete and I can take the day off this Saturday.  I don't even know what I am going to do with myself, maybe win the Mega Millions? I just got home and found out Lincoln had a temperature of 99.9 so we will be watching him closely. He also had shots today but he got a new toy airplane that helps him forget the pain of his treatment. It has now been 9 months since his diagnosis with A.L.L. (leukemia) and he is doing well. So far we have only been to the emergency room once because his little body was shaking after having chemotherapy. He has lost all of his hair and he looks good for a 3 year old baldy. He still has moments and meltdowns but no signs of the cancer returning. Emma has been on spring break but most of the week has been spent inside because she was sick. She seems to be doing better now and I think we will all feel much better once this record rainfall comes to a stop. This morning Salem had recorded nearly 8.5 inches to date for the month which is more than last year. Last year the rain kept going through May into June but I am hoping this is the end of it. My wife Jenny has been busy going to the doctor with Lincoln weekly, sometimes twice and has spent some time with her grandparents lately.

I am ready for a change and its not just the weather. I can only assume from day to day that my life will be lived as expected but it can change in a moment. This time I want the change to move me in a new direction. I'm not looking for a new job or anything and I am not giving up on raising awareness for kids with cancer but I feel like if I don't get moving soon I will be stopped short of something amazing.

I don't know what my future hold, but I know who hold's my future, and I don't think its these guys ;)

Whatever it may be I will always trust in these words.

This is all I need to know when I just don't know what I need. I hope you can trust in the Lord too because his plans never fail.

Rain, cancer and a banjo

Tomorrow its going to rain, you guessed it, in Oregon. I will be installing a fence and its going to be muddy and wet. Tomorrow my son will be fighting cancer as 1 of 3000 that were diagnosed in 2011. He will fight like Batman fights crime but he will not be the only one because 46 new kids will diagnosed tomorrow. I don't know what I hate worse sometimes, the rain or the cancer that takes kids lives but I know that neither of them will ever stop. Just for fun tonight I wanted to share something that instantly took my mind off of the suffering that I will face tomorrow. This is the first time I have even heard of this song so enjoy it with me before tomorrow comes, because when it does come I will be even more depressed only because I wish I could play the banjo as good as this  =)

Not Alone

I don't know if you know this but today is National Fight Against Childhood Cancer Day. I don't believe it is on any calender though because it is just a fact of life. Everyday a child is fighting for their lives against cancer in this nation, including mine. There is no cure for this deadly disease but there is hope as we share our fight with the world on a daily basis. Cancer is the number one killer of children next to accidents which are often because of risks that are taken. The only risk factor with cancer is being born. There is a child I know of right now that was literally born with cancer. This child never had a chance to take a risk because cancer shows no mercy. That is why we need to stand up, speak up and fight together to raise awareness for our kids who's only hope of having a childhood is in the small but growing army of people who will fight for them. Childhood cancer research is lacking greatly in funding because people have been ignorant for too long but there are many more opportunities than ever to raise awareness that will lead to funding breakthroughs in cancer treatments. We need to push the envelope in every area of social media when it comes to causes. I don't care what happened with the latest celebrity trainwreck, I want to know about the latest child who is in remissiom so we can celebrate these kids. If a child has lost in their battle against cancer, I don't want to stop hearing about the legacy they are leaving behind and the foundations that are being built in their names. As a war veteran who has fought courageously in a battle for our country, our kids who have been slain should be recognized in their battles. As long as it is called today there is a battle going on in someone's home or in a hospital. Today across this nation we need to remember that a families life will be changed with a new diagnosis, a single mom will have spent over a month away from home next to her suffering child in a hospital bed, and a parents worst nightmares will become reality as they say goodbye to their angel. Face the truth that it could be your child this very day and ask, what would I do if I could become part of discovering the cure before it could happen to my family? Today is the day, don't delay.....

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Carpet-Kids-for-the-Cure/168832049858369

Life Songs

Lately I have spent time listening to music late at night while on the computer. I really don't like to listen to the radio unless its the weather channel, but I like my own playlists. Over the years I have listened to a lot of music and I like to play music with my guitar and sing, but I had taken a break from all of it as life seemed overwhelmed or stressed. Now when I have time I can put the headphones in and turn up my favorite songs and feel the way I did when I first heard these favorites. Everyone likes that Feeling that they once had, you know the ones that you never forget but you just can't explain them. A lot of feelings are actually remembered with songs and can bring back memories otherwise untapped. Since I got an iPod and use iTunes I have only purchased 1-2 songs from my favorite artists or albums. Sometimes they are not the most popular songs on the albums but the ones that I feel will stay with me and never get old. Music that is overplayed on the radio is very disturbing sometimes and that is why I like what I like.

There is so much music in the world today and there are so many who like one thing or another and many who like a good mix of it all. I like almost everything if it is pleasent, but some people only stick with a limited variety and it seems you can't listen to something they don't like in the car without feeling uncomfortable yourself. Then there are those people who will listen to the same songs in the car with you and you both start singing out loud unashamed because you both love that song so much.
I believe that music has a lot of influence in our lives that we don't really realize is affecting us. We like what we like and we stick to it like we stick to our best friends and we don't let anything get in the way of what we prefer to listen to.

Imagine a world without a song now. No melodies, harmonies, not beats or riffs, no instruments or special effects, not even someone humming a tune. I wonder how people would survive! That is how powerful music can be and music is just one form of media. I don't know of more than a couple of songs or movies that send the message about curing cancer and I don't think they are very popular but why would they be? People want to hear love songs, read books about mystery, watch tv shows about murder or listen to the news of natural disasters. I don't see very many ways to bring childhood cancer awareness into the media and that proves to be a huge challenge since media takes so much attention away from things that are really important like saving lives. Don't get me wrong because there are billions of dollars raised because of media for good causes, I'm just saying there is a lot of competition that keeps foolish reality stars paid well and leaves children with research methods that haven't improved in decades. The news stations are very competitive with each other it seems as they have the same top stories, weather or even commercials going at the same time. So whenever I have the chance to butt in to a news story comment thread on facebook to promote childhood cancer awareness, even if it is about the new phenomenom the Hunger Games, I'm going to do it. I'm on the frontlines for saving my sons life and I will stop at nothing to get the word out, our kids need a cure and they are much more important than that movie that just came out about vampires, sorry but its true.

I suggest that you turn on some good music sometime soon and find some feelings you haven't felt in awhile and let it inspire you to a day where you felt invincible and then go out into this world and do something amazing for someone else.

Sticking With It

I used to live in Long Beach, Washington and I have spent a lot of time on the beaches of the west coast. People like the beaches there because they like the sand. We like to walk on it beside the ocean listening to the waves, looking for sand dollars. We sit in it and soak in the sun and kids love to build sand castles or even bury each other all the way up to their necks. The sandy beaches are peaceful and a nice place to clear your mind from the matters of this world.

While spending time on the beaches I have seen campfires and fireworks and people riding their bikes, but I don't think I have ever seen someone doing this and enjoying themselves.

To Bury your Head in the Sand can mean different things to different people depending on circumstances. For me it simply means being ignorant of the truth that if right before your eyes. When you are faced with cancer you cannot just bury your head in the sand and hope that cancer doesn't notice you as it comes in like a roaring wave. I have been out in the ocean and I have felt the force of the waves crashing down on me trying to take my last breath but it doesn't compare to what cancer is doing in our world to our kids. Cancer does not ignore anyone, and yet many people bury their heads in the sand because they do not want to deal with the destructive forces of cancers nature.

I challenge all people to take initiative and instead of popping their heads out to hear the latest celebrity gossip, find ways to keep your attention focused on kids fighting cancer. I want people to Subscribe to the Red Carpet Kids for a Cure http://www.facebook.com/redcarpetkidsforthecure and the Truth 365 http://www.facebook.com/theTruth365film that promote awareness so that their facebook is overwhelmed with kids who can be reached out to. I personally love to see the first thing on my news feed of a child that has No Evidence of Disease (N.E.D.) but I also have to endure the fact that I will witness a families loss on a weekly basis. Cancer can be conquered if people pull their heads out of the sand and Stick with the Program joining efforts to raise awareness, funds for research and eventually a cure. Just like you wouldn't let a child on the beach run out into the ocean with out someone close by, keep vigilant of our kids fighting for life. You wouldn't want this guy to be your kids life guard so take action today.

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