Thank You

Jason and I would like to send out a thank you to everyone who has helped us through the last month. Lord knows it has been a hard one. In many ways it seems much longer than a month, and in others, it only seems like days. It's like we're stuck in some kind of time warp where time has no meaning.

On Saturday night, the very day of Abby's diagnosis, someone on behalf of Nine Pines Restaurant dropped off a cheque for $300 for us. Apparently they have a fund set up to help people in the community. A great big thank you goes out to them. The Coughlan's had their annual big breakfast over at the camp and took up a collection. That family donation amounted to $160. Last night they had a benefit bingo for us. It raised an amazing amount of $1165.30! When Sherry came over last night to give us the money, we were speechless. We didn't know how to react. We're so touched by everyone's support yet it feels like we shouldn't take the money. That we don't deserve it somehow. It's quite the bizarre feeling. You really do feel like you shouldn't take the money, even though you know you need it. And we do.

This time round, Jason had to take two days off work without pay, because he had used up the last of his vacation days. When staying in Moncton with both Jules and Abby, we had to buy all of our meals. When Abby got sick, we couldn't leave Jules with anyone else, so our whole family had to stay in Moncton. Luckily they had hostels for families which only costs $25/night. We are extremely blessed to have benefits from Jason's work, so we only have to pay $5 for every individual prescription. However, everything the girls need now(which is a lot) in the run of a month, still adds up to quite a bit. I can not imagine how we would manage without benefits. Thank God for them! My heart goes out to all the families out there who have a sick child in their family and no medical benefits.

During all of this, we are still in the process of moving and getting our new house. And we thought that was going to be stressful! When we decided to get the house this year, it was based on cutting back on a few things per month. Now our monthly expenses have increased instead of decreasing. We try not to talk about the money part in front of the kids. We would never want them to think that they were a burden in any way, because they're not. However, last night, as they watched curiously as Sherry counted up the bingo money, I almost wanted to tell them "Look what everyone has done for you." I wanted them to know how many people out there were thinking of them. How people out there cared. I guess that will have to wait until they are older.

Because I am a Jimmy Stewart movie buff, I couldn't help last night but think of George Bailey. In the final scene of one of my favorite movies, "It's A Wonderful Life", the whole community comes together to save him. He stands there speechless as all of his friends, family and fellow townsman drop money on the table, without hesitation, simply because "George Bailey needed help". He opens the book left for him by Clarence(his angel), and reads the line "No man is a failure who has friends". And that is so true. You always hope that they will be there for you when you need them, but when that time actually comes, you are brought to your knees with their response.

So thank you, to everyone out there. Not just to those who gave money, but to all of you who simply took time out of your day to pray for my family... my two little girls.

It really is "A Wonderful Life"! (corny I know...but true)