Light the Night Walk

     I learned something about my friend Katie that night!  In this we are not the same!  Katie is freakishly serious about being early or at the latest, on time to an event.  I, on the other hand, am freakishly serious about arriving fashionably late to an event, or at the earliest, about 15 minutes after it's begun.  It's not because I'm trying to, but because I run from one place to the next and sometimes, the events overlap.  Luckily, my friend was understanding and we were off to "light the night" the right way with our daughters, Bre and Mackie!  It was so much fun driving and talking, and laughing and sharing as we drove to our night of good friends and good deeds by walking two miles to fight blood cancers with our other friends!
     Some of you might remember that Bre's friend, Faith had cancer five years ago at the age of 3 1/2.  She will be 5 years cancer free this February, so this was an especially triumphant walk.  At 5 years her chance of a relapse drops to 1%.  Faith's mom is an incredibly inspiring person and has been the #1 non-commercial fundraiser for the past few years.  Her team name is "Leap of Faith" and I am so grateful to be a part of it.
      Red, white and gold were the colors of the night!  Lit balloons seemed to float in the air just above our heads, music filled the air, the smell of food tantalized our senses, and friends embraced in a united purpose!  We arrived at the tent excited to see our friends.  We found out that the girls were all around playing games, getting their faces painted, making buttons and picking up their t-shirts for the night.  We joined in the merriment making.  The pulse of the night was pretty exciting.  And then the walk began-the two mile walk that said, "In your face blood cancers! We will win this."  Red balloons were for participants, white for survivors, and gold for remembrances.  As we started walking, I couldn't help but think about my Uncle Klaus who lost his battle with lymphoma several years ago.  He was truly the most gentle soul I have ever known.  His love of all things good came to my mind--banana pancakes, walks in nature, a good book, his nickname "Lovie" for his wife, and white Christmas lights,--I missed him and walked for him.  Brenna ran with her friends through the walk.  She walked with Mackie and a newer friend Briana and her twin sister Arielle.  I started walking with Katie, but in the mass of walkers ended up walking with Briana's mom, Shari.  It was fun getting to know her a little bit better.
     I loved seeing the balloons fill the air and friends around me.  The weather was absolutely beautiful.  It was a great night to "Light the Night".