One of the most glorious things in the world is the joy of play! The looks in the faces of people just having fun and feeling like a kid again is such a wonderful gift! Take a look at our kids- big and small!
The day started with stand up paddleboarding with our wonderful friends from Ocean Cure
Then the Coastal Therapeutic Riding Program brought us a wonderful treat- miniature horses and a donkey for us to pet and care for, and of course, play with!
And of course, this is what happens after a great day stand up paddle boarding!
We finished our day off with a delicious dinner thanks to the wonderful folks of Masonboro Baptist Church and our wonderful new friends, the Brysons and a wonderful game night! No pictures of the games, just the crazy competitors!
Well, not literally... but there were plenty of hands in the touch tank and noses pressed against the glass as our families explored the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
After a day of relaxing and getting familiar with Carolina Beach, Little Pink was treated to a private dinner and tour of the aquarium. There were smiles all around while our big and little kids explored the displays of giant megladon sharks teeth, glowing jellyfish, and ran along the boardwalks and playground outside.
These Little Pink families have really jumped on board with our mission and we couldn't be more excited for each day to come!
Special thanks to Big Apple Bakery for the amazing cupcakes!
Wow! Today, we officially opened up the 3rd year of Little Pink Houses of Hope Breast Cancer Family Retreats with the beginning of the Carolina Beach Retreat! In the first two years, we served 93 families combined. This year alone, we have set our sights on serving 96 families! Not only have we added 5 new sites, but we have also added 4 additional retreat directors to help guide our families through their amazing week! Get ready for a wonderful, year full of amazing new friends that we are happy to call a part of our Little Pink Family!
Had a wonderful morning yesterday with the wonderful team at O3 Media! For those of you that may not remember, Little Pink Houses of Hope was picked from a large pool of applicants to be their Project365 winner last year! We were so excited to win and Brian and Sean at O3 Media have been amazing partners throughout the whole process- really supporting our vision and helping us to create the best website for our families, volunteers, donors, and users. They helped us redo our logo, website, and branding. A great example of a caring company that wants to help give back and make a difference in a very meaningful way!
I cannot wait to launch the new website! We are doing a bunch of tweaking and entry right now, but look for the launch in the next month!
Here is a sneak peak at the updated, cleaned up logo
So, I have an image today that has been carrying me through a weekend where we lost two of our Little Pink moms to their battle with breast cancer. We also lost 2 moms in December and 6 last year. Each a beautiful woman taken away at exactly the moment that God designed, but always a moment that we feel is too early. All of these women left an indelible mark on the world, on my heart, and the hearts of so many others.
I have people who ask me if dealing with this side of Little Pink is too much to take. They often times refer to it as the "down side" to the work that we do. Without LPHOH, I never would have met these women, their families, seen the love that they carry for their children, seen their hope for a miracle to keep them here, seen the determination to try something new, seen their faith deepen, or the attitude of "the hell with cancer, I am here to live".
So I say all of that, but I still cry. I cry for the people that are left behind. I cry for the days that will be missed in the lives of their children. I cry that the people they love have lost the only person that loves them the way that they did.
But I still find myself with the ability to rejoice. I rejoice in the days that they got to hold hands with the love of their life. I rejoice in the sweet giggles shared as a wave came to shore and they couldn't run fast enough to either go towards it or away from it. I rejoice that they are free from pain. I rejoice in knowing that these women are in God's loving embrace.
And the image that has been carrying me through is my dad, waiting in heaven to give each of them a big hug. My dad died two years ago right before Little Pink started, but he was the business brains behind the whole organization. I am holding onto the image that he welcomes each one of our women home with a big "little pink hug in heaven".
All of these women lived in a way that showed others exactly who they were, what they stood for, what they cared about, why they were here. Because in the end, that is what we want to be able to say "I was here" and have it mean something to the people we love, the world, to our God. We want to be able to leave this world healed. Not physically healed. But having spent a lifetime trying to understand that healing is about all facets of your life. It is about striving for a completeness in all parts of your life. A completeness with your family, your faith, your work, your body, your mind, your devotion.
So, what can you put your "I was here" marker on? Are you loving as much as you can? Are you giving as much of yourself as God desires? Are you listening? Are you ready to show the world that "You were here".
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