Wednesday, September 28, 2011

On A Mission


These are my friends BB and Rosebud-- They are cousins, best friends and two determined nine year olds on a mission.

Despite a very serious kidney disease of her own, Rosebud (pictured on the right) fund-raises all year long for lupus because her mom has the nasty disease. With BB by her side every step of the way, you'd be blown away by the amount of support and money these two dynamos raise... All of this while Rosie is fighting to keep her kidneys functioning.

This week the girls are having a huge bake sale and then on Sunday they are running in the 5K Lupus International Race For Life. Here's what Rosie says about it in their own words...

Why I run …

I run the Lupus Race for Life to help people who are sick, like me. I have HSP IgA Nephropathy. It’s not fair to have people feel the same way I do. People with lupus go through some of the same problems as me.

Running this race makes people feel good inside—those who are sick and those to can run. It’s because we all come together to make a difference. Even if you are sick like me, you can still make a difference. Like George Lopez does for kids with kidney problems at the Painted Turtle Camp. I got to meet him this year—he was really nice and funny too!

So here I am. Trying to make a difference.

I don’t feel good when my mommy is sick. It makes me sad. I am the only one with kidney problems in my family.

I help people who I don’t know, but I am helping the most important person—my mommy who has lupus. What’s better than a daughter and mommy relationship?

My favorite hobbies are running, surfing, pitching and relaxing. I run every year. That means I am helping myself and people with lupus feel good.

I won first place when I was four years old for the 1 mile. It was hard, but fun. Even if you just take a step at least you try. I just really want you to try. Last year I came in last, but I finished. I didn’t give up.

All you have to do is participate—run, walk and/or give. So why not? Plus, after the race, you can get breakfast. They serve pancakes, sausage, eggs, tortillas and fruit.

Will you run the race with me and help people with lupus?

You will feel good about yourself!

xo Rosebud


I adore these girls and I myself have lupus so I especially appreciate their efforts. Please help me cheer them on this Sunday October 2nd. Make a pledge, say a little prayer or read more to understand lupus
.

Thanks a million.


Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Friday, September 23, 2011

I Found Uncle Charlie

Rarely was his name mentioned at family gatherings and when it was, it was usually followed by a facial expression reassembling a cross between sucking sour lemons and a whiff of a very nasty spell. Charlie was not any one's favorite uncle.

I hardly remember the old goat but I do remember he was not much of a "people person", especially "little" people, as in kids-- and growing up in our family-- there were lots of kids.

I remember Uncle Charlie as the guy at the end of our long dining room table at Thanksgiving that refused to talk when each was asked what he was thankful for. He was also the first to leave the table--heading straight to the kitchen, packing himself a doggie bag of leftovers with the green Tupperware he'd brought with him, then kissing my mom on the cheek and grumbling something as he left the house.

Uncle Charlie was from Mom's side of the family and she never considered not inviting him to our gatherings. She's a "there's-always-room-for-one-more-at-the-table" kind of person and her table included the uncle that I was never quite sure whether or not he was actually a blood relative.

And then one day he was gone. Dead. And in my 11 year old brain, that was the end of him.

Uncle Charlie didn't have any kids of his own and I vaguely remember Mom "handling things" when he passed away but I don't remember the details or a funeral for that matter.

Since Charlie's passing more than 40 years ago, Mom has lived in our family home, a down-sized home, and the home she shared with my late lovely step-father, Dave.

We are now in the process of moving Mom to a Senior Community and that involves hauling out years and years of "stuff" that fills a full basement, a two-car garage, a shed and their four bedroom house. There. Is. A. LOT. Of. Stuff!

Over the past few months, Mom has repeatedly told all five of her kids as well as Dave's five kids to "Take whatever you want-- Please!" She's moving to a two bedroom house and is more than ready to unload a massive accumulation of possessions.

Just before their doozie of a yard sale last month, Mom assigned me the glamorous task of cleaning out the garage-- I'm not sure if that was paybacks for my teenage years or if I just drew the short straw, but tackling the garage-- spiders and all, was a job I took very seriously.

Mom and Dave lived in this house for 20 years-- I can prove that too with the "saved" newspapers from 1991 that were stacked next to the full case of WD-40 oil, because you never know when you might have that many squeaky things that need oiled and repaired.

The garages were jammed pack with a meaningful collection of *ahem*crap*junk*useless*stuff* mementos like three artificial Christmas trees including one that's silver with the four-color rotating light to help set a festive mood. Not to be out done, there were also countless folding lawn chairs, an enormous quantity of nuts, bolts and power tools, two lawn mowers, several snow shovels, nine cases of canning jars, dusty wreaths for every imaginable holiday, tons of mouse poop and one odd shaped cardboard box with a tin inside it.

The outside of the box read, in faded black Magic Marker, "Uncle Charlie".

Apparently, Charlie, or rather his ashes, were on Mom's "to-do" list to take care of for quite a while and then, as life sometimes happens when you're raising five young children, got put on the back burner for another day....

Today was that day. I found Uncle Charlie. In the garage. His Tupperware was nowhere in sight.

With no disrespected intended, I understand this is a delicate situation and I don't want to offend anyone or be rude to the deceased, but what in the world was I supposed to do with Uncle Charlie?

I unfolded one of those 1960s lawn chairs and sat behind the garage, out of Mom's and the countless spiders' sight, to contemplate my next step. The last thing I wanted to do was upset Mom and I was pretty sure finding Uncle Charlie in the garage would not make her day.

I came up with nothing.

So I called Big Sister and explained the situation. Nothing. Baby Sister wasn't much help either. It was Middle Sister who had her wits about her-- Translation-- She was the only one able to stop laughing long enough to tell me to fess up and go directly me to Mom, who in turn directed me to her minister, who then arranged a date to say a few prayers and scatter Uncle Charlie's ashes in the woods behind the chapel.

At the conclusion of the 23rd Psalm, I thought for a moment about my youthful impressions of Uncle Charlie and if maybe being a bratty kid jaded my impressions of Mom's relative. She always had something nice to say about Charlie and commented many times that he'd given her the rocking chair she'd rocked her babies in.

When we returned home from the chapel, I had a sudden need to rearrange Mom's bottomless and very disorganized Tupperware cabinet. No Uncle Charlie's light green Tupperware wasn't in there but I'm pretty sure I found a little compassion for our uncle as I sorted through the mismatched pieces.

When I was finished I was glad Uncle Charlie was finally laid to rest and very glad I had found him before the garage sale.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

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This commercial made me laugh out loud. CLICK HERE

Enjoy!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Friday, September 16, 2011

Lemon-Aid


I know, I know... I have been on the run and not blogging much this past month-- or two, or three. But life got in the way as they say and, well, I sort of feel like I've been cheating on you a bit.

True confession time--

In addition to four trips back home to Ohio in three months with another one scheduled in two weeks, the very sad and unexpected passing of my sweet step-dad, Dave, and running around like a chicken with my head cut off all summer, I've also been helping the good folks at the non-profit Lupus International launch a new blog.

When I was first diagnosed with lupus (a hundred years ago) I turned to this organization for education and support. They were so great to me that I've been volunteering with them ever since.

So when the call came asking for help with their new blog, it was hard to say no. It's taken a lot of my spare blog time but now that I have two posts over there under my belt.... and figured out the new Blogger design system (Oy!), I should be back in my usual routine of spending way too much time reading your blogs and hanging out in front of my computer again. Ahhh, it sounds like paradise!

Please take a minute to check out the new blog and my current post which tells you a little bit about my "invisible illness". I'd really appreciate your input on the design and any pointers or tips you might have on the new Blogger design system. (Newblog name is-- Lupus Lemon-Aid)

Thanks a million. You are all the best!
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins
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