The Gap (not the store)

It's been one year since I updated my Ragbrai blog.  Initially I was planning on creating a new blog for  2012. But a lot happened during "the gap" and actuallyI like looking back on a great experience last year.  So, here we (Pat and I are riding this year) go. Sometimes the best things in life come after enduring challenges. Recently I started wondering what I had done to attract some bad karma. In the last 2 weeks I had a unexpected 3 day hospital stay (long story - I'm fine), burglarized home, and the cherry on top, crashed car. My colleagues

at work who read this are probably just shaking their heads. BUT, if bad things come in threes, then good things should come in threes also. Good thing # 1;  My son Cameron is home from his 2 year church mission. Good thing #2; had a great vacation with most of the family in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone including my adorable 9 month old granddaughter. Good thing # 3 Ragbrai. There are many, manymore good things in my life and over the next week I will touch on a few of them.

The theme for my blog this year is "People are Good".  A few weeks ago some things happened that left me speechless and all I could say is "people are good".  This week I want to talk about some of those people.  My friend and fellow Ragbrai rider Karen Jaffe has a fabulous blog.  One of the posts on her blog highlights  several people she has connected with who also have Parkinsons Disease.  http://karenjaffe.blogspot.com/2012/06/so-i-thought-that-i-would-fill-this.html

These are strong, altruistic, inspirational people. But I'm pretty sure if you asked any one of them what keeps them going they would say that, in large part,  its the people in their lives who love and support them. Spouses, children, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.  These people are the "wind beneath our wings". 

I'm going to start with my husband's employer Appreciation Financial.  We both were taken aback when they offered to pay for our trip to Ragbrai (we didn't ask, they offered).  Hence the theme "People are Good".  I've tried and tried to come up with the right words to express my appreciation (for Appreciation :) ) which is difficult so I'll use the words of Helen Keller "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”

As I sit on this bus driving across through the cornfields of Iowa with an amazing group of people, most of whom do not have Parkinsons but are here in support of those who do, I repeat the mantra "People are Good". 

It's never too late for donations.  At this time, PFP is at 90% of their goal.  If you would like to donate to help themr each 100%, you can go to the link below.  Every little (or big) amount helps.

http://www.pedalingforparkinsons.org/fundraising