Shoshanna turns One and Relay for Life

Hello friends. How has you week been? For some strange reason I have been really tired this week. I think I'm stressing myself out about my upcoming vacation. I always want things to be perfect, so then I put way too much time and energy into playing scenarios in my head. Maybe it's one of those Pisces daydreaming sort of things.
A couple really neat things happened this past weekend. My littlest niecey poo turned the big ONE. Yay! And I also attended my first Relay for Life, a fund raising event for the American Cancer Society.

The birthday girl.

Here is Shoshanna diving into her birthday cake. She is so teeny and cute.

 

Momma put a crown on her. I don't think she likes it.

 

And she sees the presents...

This was my first year volunteering at the Relay for Life, though my coworkers have been doing it for at least a couple years now. Sometimes I think people don't "get it" until it hits home. For me it was an impulse thing, but I'm glad I did it.

The theme this year was Pajama Party.

 

The football field lined with tents. It rained all through the night. Poor campers. We didn't stay over night, but the awesome woman at work that organizes all this was there. With her family. In the pouring rain. How amazing is she?

A view of the track and all the people toughing it out through the cold and rain to raise money for the cause.

I know a lot of people don't like to think about it, but really, cancer is going to touch us at some point in our lives. Whether it's yourself, or someone you know, there really is no escaping it. It's devastating. But life continues on, and we gain strength as we move through it. Those that have gone before us, and those that continue their fight are a tremendous inspiration to the power of humanity.
When my grandmother was diagnosed with Melanoma in her eye I was really a wreck. She is like mommy #2 for me, I couldn't possibly bear the thought of losing her. Luckily the cancer had not spread, and she lost her eye, but is healthy. Which is wonderful for our family, because we love her so much.
Her sister recently lost her battle. She was mommy #2 for my mom and my aunt. I decided to make a luminary to commemorate her at the Relay for Life. I painted one side with a hummingbird, because Linda loved hummingbirds. On the other side I placed her picture (her graduation picture, which I adore). These luminaries line the track and are lit at sundown. Given the unfortunate circumstances of rain, I do not have a picture. But many people at the relay stop to look at them, to read them, and for a moment, even the strangers remember.