Reaching Out.

Okay, so I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things here... But I do have some news:

Firstly, many of you who visit this blog probably already know about the fire that burned down fellow blogger Travis Erwin's house last weekend. Fortunately, he, his wife and two boys are safe... thank God. But they lost nearly everything.

Erica Orloff and Stephen Parrish have set up a site where one can donate cash or send something via Amazon to help the Erwin family rebuild their lives. You can find more information about it here: http://habitatfortravis.blogspot.com/

If there's one thing my family and I have learned over the past nine months, it's how ready and willing friends, or perfect strangers, are to reach out and give a helping hand when one is going through a crisis... even if it's just to give encouragement and words of support. It's a humbling experience to realize those people are out there and that they care. We literally had thousands of folks pulling for Matt and the family, and the support came from the most amazing and surprising places (more on that in another blog).

This is why I'm so pleased to see so many reach out to Travis and his family as they deal with this. It does seem that everywhere I turn, someone is dealing with a major life-changing crisis. Sigh.

*****

Secondly, some FANTASTIC news:

Matt is HOME!!! Because he progressed so well after the Bone Marrow Transplant, he was released from the hospital several weeks early! He still has a long, long ways to go, but he's "free" from the tiny, sterile hospital room and back in the comfortable surroundings of his own room. :)

We're so thrilled to have him home!! And of course, incredibly proud of him for fighting his way through hell and back. Way to go, Matt.

Thank you again to everyone who reached out to us in support. You truly have no idea how much that means to us.

Take Care,

Michele