I was watching the morning show the other day ~ and there was a segment on Susie Mann jumping out of an airplane and feeling the thrill of skydiving for the first time. What makes her experience different from other inspirational stories is that Mann, 79, was diagnosed with terminal intestinal cancer last spring.
What's Susie doing with her diagnosis? She's taking the opportunity to live her life to the fullest! It made me think of that Tim McGraw song - Live Like You Were Dying...
The skydiving adventure is just one of a series of adventures to be checked off of this grandmother's "Bucket list." Check out HER blog.
The first adventure she completed from the list was hang gliding in Middletown, New York, in early August. Swimming with dolphins and riding a donkey through the Grand Canyon are next on the agenda...
Mann says she looks at her diagnosis as an opportunity. "I don't think I've ever been scared of the unknown. I think I take it as a challenge," she said.
"Dying is just another page of life, just a different journey in a different place," she added.
Recently I was at Active Rain's Gary Mcninch's wife Jesse Joy's Celebration of Life...and such a beautiful Celebration it was! It was an inspiration to hear Jesse's story and how she lived both her life and through her diagnosis......So much faith, spirit and courage ....It was a privilege to be privy to and pariticipate hearing of the Love Story - that was Gary & Jesse's....and of a Love that Never Ends.
These past 2 years I've been to many Celebrations, Funerals & Memorials.....and they've done much to have me pause and think about this life that I am living.
To be afraid and not let it stop us...in light of circumstances beyond our control - to not let it stop us from experiencing life to its fullest. Being brave is not so much about not feeling fear but being comfortable facing it because you have Faith...and Joy.
My friend Liz Moras in Chilliwack BC has written about the death of my wife Jessie-Joy. It has been a 7 year struggle with cancer and a lifetime where Jessie was covered by the grace of God. Take a look at the rolling memorial on my facebook profile, I think you will be moved too.
I appreciate this Liz, I'm still a little too tender to put this on paper. I thank everyone for their prayers for Jessie. She passed away (which is the right term in this case) with a smile on her face and no pain. And I know it was a straight shot to heaven. Now she is dancing and rejoicing.
Friendships, Love and Loss - something we all live through ~ it's as inescapable as time, and yet...you can never really prepare yourself. I first read about Jesse-Joy's story in Gary's McNinch's Post....
I Got a STAR on AR, and Didn't Write A Word??? Where Gary shared........the story of his wife Jessie-Joy's fight with cancer... Its a miraculous story of love and faith triumphing one day at a time....
One of my favorite people on Active Rain, I had the privilege of meeting Gary Mcninch and his charming wife Jesse for the first time in Orlando this past February. I shared a post about our visit........in Testimony of Love and Faith........Gary Mcninch's Story.......
"From the beginning I was moved and touched by Gary's gentle and cheerful spirit......only later was I to learn what chiseled that..."
Gary and I have since chatted and commiserated a few times, we both used to work for KW and we'd share anecdotes and laughs about Real Estate and the Pacific Northwest....but mostly we talked about family...We talked about Jesse's Treatments, progress, and challenges...
Sadly ~ two days ago Gary called with the news that Jesse had passed away... I didn't know Jesse well.......only from our one meeting in Florida - but Gary spoke of her so lovingly and over the last few days I've had a chance to read many a tributes to her on Gary's page on Facebook...
I just read a tribute post about Jesse -Joy on Facebook - I think it might have been from her niece........she says:
"It's rare that I can remember the first time I met someone. Rarer still when I met them at the age of five. It was New Year's Eve, the first year my parents let me stay up until midnight, if I remember correctly-She talked to me like a grown-up. She dyed my hair, let me get my ears double pierced and took me to see the Phantom of the Opera. She could drive from Seattle to here in 2.5 hours instead of the four it took everyone else. She borrowed my roller skates when I was only seven, and they fit her tiny feet and we went roller-skating together. How many grown-ups do that? Over three decades and three generations, she charmed every one of us.
Jessie lived years beyond the doctors' expectations. That fits her personality and force of will so well that I have a hard time believing she is gone. I have never been one for those fuzzy, childish, earthly-minded views of heaven, but today I find myself wondering if there are roller skates up there."
"Watching Gary and Jesse holding hands......patient and caring, loving and .....honouring........being privy to how continued to trust in the Lord's blessing and healing....the evening still plays in my mind."......only now.......its Jesus Holding Jessie...
Thank you Gary and Jessie - for allowing me to share in your world.......if only for a little while.....
And Gary ~
May your memories always be ones of Joy ~ Jessie's Joy ...
PS ... for the rest of our friends on here, there is a spectacular rolling memorial going on Gary's facebook page, just friend him and look at the profile...
Many of you know the battle that my wife and I are facing with breast cancer and brain tumors. Please support Susan G Komen and take a close look at this post from my friend Midori Miller. Thanks.
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least onefree mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' for free (pink window in the middle).
This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
Midori Miller is licensed in the State of Florida, BK645709 and currently hangs her real estate license with CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty. Midori is also areal estate trainer and an ActiveRain Ambassador and specializes in short sales for Daytona Beach real estate sellers. If you are in the market to buy or sell real estate in Daytona Beach, Florida..please contact us!
In its press release, the FOMC noted that the U.S. economy is "picking up following its severe downturn" and that financial markets have "improved further".
It's the second consecutive post-FOMC statement in which the Fed appears somewhat optimistic -- a signal that the recession will end soon, or has already ended.
That said, the economy still has some soft spots and the Fed made a point to single them out. Each poses a distinct threat to economic recovery.
Ongoing job losses
Sluggish income growth
Tight credit conditions
Also in its statement, the Fed confirmed its plan to hold the Fed Funds Rate near zero percent "for an extended period" and to honor its $1.25 trillion commitment to the mortgage bond market.
However, the FOMC changed its timeframe on the mortgage-backed bond buys, extending its deadline to March 2010. This move should help the Fed keep mortgage rates from rising too high as the economic expansion takes hold.
Market reaction to the Fed's press release is positive. After an early day sell-off that drove rates higher by about a quarter-percent, most of the pressure is easing. Pricing is worse on the day overall, but well off its lows.
City of Renton just opened the Cedar River Off Leash Dog Park. I was looking at homes in Fairwood the other day and swung by to take a look. Nicely done.
Kudos to the city and the RUFF (Renton Unleashed Furry Friends) volunteers who raised money and worked on this project.
And sometimes it' s important to remember that some people love their dogs more than their kids.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE STORY.................
So.. These folks are my neighbors 3 blocks away, in my geographical farm area, I helped them arrange a refi a few years back... I remember when their baby was born.... I wave at him a couple times a month as he drives by.
INTERESTING.... rather than call or walk down the street, she googles me and AR pops us and she sends me an email through AR.
We love our customers and nice when they find us on Active Rain. Just another value of Social Networking. (and having great neighbors) and watch for a great townhome for sale soon
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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