Okay, first things first, I promised you a pay-it-forward contest on Friday and it's now Monday. Maybe Monday is the new Friday?
(I hope not.)
We'll call this a "Kelsey's Favorite Things" pay-it-forward. The winner will get a subscription to Wondertime Magazine and a copy of Dar Williams' brand new CD, Promised Land. And maybe a couple of other goodies as well. I may also pick a second winner for a Wondertime subscription.
To enter, leave a comment on this post by midnight, New York City time, on October 6th. That gives you a week. If you don't know what to write, tell me either the first band/performer you remember being really crazy about OR the first celebrity you wrote a letter to.
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And now the request. . . I'm substitute teaching all this week for a friend of mine - I'm a third grade teacher for the week! My mom is here to help with the kids and Matt's parents are also filling in some gaps here and there. It is one thing to work one or two days a month and another thing to work five days a week. (I bow to all you moms who work full time outside the home!) We'll see if I survive!
The reason I'm doing this is that my friend is going through the process of donating bone marrow this week. She is donating to a complete stranger, a match discovered through the national registry. I won't go into the entire process, but she is currently experiencing some very difficult ("painful as h*ll" were her words) side effects and generally having a very hard time. I think she is making an incredible sacrifice with the hope of saving another person's life and it is amazing to me. I feel like she hasn't received a lot of support for her decision -- many people have just told her they think she's crazy. So I'm asking for all the prayers, positive energy, good karma, etc. you can offer for both my friend and the woman she is donating for. She doesn't know I'm making this request, but I'm certain she'll feel the power of your kind thoughts.
12 comments:
I don't think she's crazy - she's doing a wonderful and beautiful thing. What a wonderful person she is! I will definitely be thinking of her.
My first band crush was Morten Harket of A-ha (remember Take On Me?! I STILL swoon when I see that video!). Oh, the tweenage lust.
I'll leave a few comments...
1) Wondertime would be great...I'll be a new mommy in April. I could use the advice.
2) Dar is very cool. I'd love to have her latest and be cool, too.
3) Have fun teaching!
4) Many prayers for your wonderful friend. What a gift.
I am so impressed with your friend for donating her bone marrow. I will definitely keep her and the woman she is donating to in my thoughts and prayers.
I loved Michael Jackson when he came out with Thriller. We used to put our record on the record player. Turn out the lights and then dance to Thriller up and down our hallway. Of course, we didn't know the Thriller "dance." We just made up our own version of it.
As a full time teacher, Monday is NOT (and NEVER, EVER will be) the new Friday. Friday is bliss and the weekend is even better!
On a side note, I hope you're excited about the Brewers in the playoffs! At least that helped out the pain from both a Badger and Packer loss from last weekend!
Umm, I don't remember my first music love. And I never wrote a celebrity letter. I was a boring kid. Ha.
I think that your friend is doing a wonderful thing. And it's great that she has you to sub for her. I will pray that she feels better very soon.
ooo...I love those prizes - what are my chances of winning a second of your contests? This is going to be embarrassing, but the first thing I remember being crazy about is NKOTB. I was 11, and that's my only excuse.
And kudos to your friend - what an incredible gift!
Of course I'll pray for your friend and the woman she is helping! I believe prayer is very powerful and will help.
As for the pay it forward - my first band love was Duran Duran. My entire bedroom was covered with pictures of them, I made a scrapbook, wrote letters, memorized facts and spent all my allowence on magazines that had pictures of them!
Prayers are on the way- and your friend is waaaaaaay braver than I. Have fun teaching this week! What an adjustment!
The first band I thought of was Bon Jovi. I loved them so much I had a door sized poster on the back of my door! I loved them so much that when I got two turles as pets (you see this coming, right?) I named one BON and the other one JOVI! Seriously.
BUT after reading all the comments, I distinctly remember owning a Duran Duran folder and a Jackson white glove. I'm seriously hoping that never made it out of the house!
First, I'm glad that your power is back on. That must have been quite an ordeal, and I'm glad things weren't worse.
Second, how wonderful is your friend for donating bone marrow to someone she doesn't even know! This could be a life changing experience for both her and the recipient. Wow. I'm so very impressed with her kindness.
Third, I'd LOVE to enter your contest.
Fourth, good luck to you with teaching all week. By the time you read this, the week will be over and you will have made it through, right?
I think it is amazing that your friend is doing that for a stranger--it shows that there are still good people in the world.
On a much lighter note, I don't remember writing to any celebrity. If I did, maybe Kirk Cameron or Ralph Macchio (Karate Kid) whose name just now popped in my head.
To add to my mortification, the first band I really remember being crazy about was New Kids on the Block. I even had the sticker album! And they are having a comeback...kinda.
Sara
what a wonderful thing your friend is doing!!! hope you're having fun in third grade, i taught it for 4 years and have moved for first this year....quite a learning curve for me ;) your give away sounds fun!
Thank God for people like your friend! Her sacrifice could potentially save someone's life, someone like Archie.
As soon as Archie hits the five-year mark, I'm going to register as a bone marrow donor. Until then John and I have been advised to keep our blood and marrow out of the donor database, just in case (if Archie received a blood donation from us, and then needed our blood or marrow later, it would be a less effective match for him because the previous exposure would have built immunities in his blood).
at least emily and i were nerds together in our shared passion for NKOTB. we both loved danny and would sort through her nkotb trading cards on sundays after church. my parents wouldn't buy me any of their paraphenalia, so emily was kind enough to give me all her trading card doubles (which I still have in my attic...along with my "Donnie" doll).
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