Camp Kesem

Cancer. It's a term that strikes fear and hits close to home for almost everyone. With cancer rates soaring, it is common that each individual has a personal connection to this disease. For me, my connection is my mom. When I was 15 my mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 42 at the time, and because only the right breast was filled with the cancer she was diagnosed at a stage 1. We were incredibly blessed and that the cancer was not too far advanced she underwent a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery and after recovery she was cancer free! Or so we thought. Years later in the summer of 2011, 7 years later to be exact, we received some devastating news; my mom's cancer was back, and was worse than ever. She was immediately diagnosed to a stage 4 (the last stage of cancer) because the cancer had metastasized. Her entire spine was shown to be completely saturated with the cancer to the point that her vertebrae were literally deteriorating. The doctors believed that she would only live two more years at the most. Immediately she underwent an intensive program of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in attempts to delay the spread of the cancer as much as possible. During this time, I was humbled with the incredible amount of service that our friends and neighbors devoted to our family. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. The amount of selflessness that loved ones and even simply acquaintances exhibited on a daily basis was truly overwhelming. Although my mom's cancer still persists, we have been immensely blessed with success in her therapies. The cancer is not in remission, but the therapies significantly impeded the growth of the cancer providing us with more time with my mom. With this crazy life experience, I was introduced to a world of new service opportunities. One of these  wonderful programs is named "Camp Kesem". As seen in the video below, it is a place where children who have been affected by cancer (whether they themselves have it or their parents) can go, free of charge, to forget about cancer and just focus on being a kid.                   

There are multiple chapters of Camp Kesem throughout the nation and it is very easy to get involved!! You can be selected to be an actual camp counselor and spend an amazing week helping to buoy up these incredible kids or help in various other ways such as fundraising. Find the Camp Kesem near you and get involved!!       

It's the Little Things

Okay, right now in front of my vast audience of followers ;) I solemnly commit to posting in my blog more frequently!! There are so many little things that make my life wonderful that I feel guilty and ungrateful for not sharing them. For example, a couple of weeks ago I was just stressed out. I didn't want to do anything, and no one could make me! Or so was my attitude. In protest of making dinner, or completing any other task for that matter, I plopped on the floor in between the living room and kitchen and laid there. Instead of complaining that he was hungry, or that I was lazy, my sweet husband simply plopped down right next to me. The next 45 minutes were spent in laughter, playing the best game of "I Spy" I've ever played. What a wonderful attitude?! My husband would've had every justifiable right to straighten me out and bring me back to real, adult, life. However, instead, he was selfless and turned it into a loving and positive memory that I  cherish. Example #2; my husband and I were finally getting home from work and school and had gone grocery shopping. I don't know about you, but I'm a "one trip" kind of girl. Meaning, I HATE having to make multiple trips to and from the car for groceries. I know, its weird. This particular night we had made a particularly large shopping trip and it didn't look like we'd be able to carry it all to the house in one go. Then suddenly, a couple of our friends called out to us! They just happened to be walking by, recognized us, and offered to help us carry the remainder of the groceries in. Again these are very small and simplistic scenarios, but are situations that at the very least made me smile! It's amazing how much happiness you can provide by doing simple acts of service. SO instead of spotlighting a particular charity with this post, I'd like to encourage the habit of creating daily service opportunities.             

Service

Service just feels good. Anyone that has ever done ANYTHING with selfless intentions can attest to this. Why do people donate to charities or volunteer time at a soup kitchen when oftentimes (except for an occasional tax write off) there's no tangible return for your work? Because it evokes the "warm fuzzies". That loving feeling that rings into the depths of your soul reminding you that you are capable of so much potential. It's the thought and call to action requiring you to get out of your own head and realize that there is a much bigger picture and so much more to live for. When defining service, different fields have differing opinions. According to Wikipedia service from an economic standpoint is defined as, "In economics, a service is an intangible commodity. That is, services are an example of intangible economic goods" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_(economics)#Service_definition). How interesting?! I would have never thought of the benefits of service as "intangible goods" and yet I love this because it specifically describes that their are "goods" that come of it; you just can't physically hold them or see them. I don't believe it is an accident that humans are wired to have that desire to serve and it certainly is not a coincidence that we are all on this earth simultaneously trying to get through life. We are here together and we are supposed to help each other. Being a Christian (I'm a Mormon in fact) I whole-heartedly believe the scriptures when it states that we are to "mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:9). I also sincerely believe that 98% of people truly desire to get involved in serving their community but they might just not know how to get started if its not Christmas time! Without the ringing bells of the Salvation Army's Santa Clauses in front of grocery stores, people may not know where to donate that money or how to volunteer at a soup kitchen. So! I want this blog to attempt to solve that problem, at least for my current community. I want this to be a reference point if someone is wanting and willing to serve! The saddest thing would be for someone not to dedicate time because they had too hard of a time finding a proper institution to volunteer with or simply didn't have the time to do the research. Thus, each day I will attempt to portray a personal story highlighting something positive in my life  as well as spotlighting a local charity and how to get involved.  

The Commencement

I'll admit this blog has been a long time coming and it was only thanks to a requirement for a class that I am finally beginning to "blog". Initially, in browsing blogs attempting to pinpoint just what I wanted to use my blog to rant about I totally began stressing out about all the unbelievably cute blogs that far surpass anything that I could ever conjure! Generally speaking, the people I have known to start blogs have done so after getting married. They establish a blog as a cute, funny and personable way to stay in touch with family or simply tell their story. I, however, find it hard to do so! I would say that by nature I am more of a private person and call it old fashioned or even anxiety, but I don't want to broadcast our lives to everyone and their dog! In short I a  am a very normal "super senior" simply attempting to finally finish my undergraduate from BYU, taking 11 credits in a spring term in addition to an internship, and try to be a pleasant enough person for my (amazing) husband to come home to. I'm not particularly craftsy although I enjoy the occasional project of refurbishing a dresser or attempting to crackle a frame using Elmer's glue to save some money. Nor am I particularly funny (especially when in writing), which I discovered, is often what makes a good blog; wit and a good sense of humor. I mean, don't get me wrong I think I'm hilarious;) but so often I feel that it is the expectation that you have to pump your postings full of wit and style just to get a couple of followers.  That's a lot of pressure people! So after thinking about what I could devote this blog to, recognizing my powerful right to freedom of speech, I  decided to make this blog about something that this world needs a little more of; positivity and service.