Strawberry Moon

Almost forgot to post today because I am still recovering from the HomeRun Derby we had yesterday. ...

When John died it was so diffcult for his friends because they were still so young and had never expected this to happen...so, in an effort to cope and keep the group together, one of his friends (Richard) came to us as they were all going back to thier lives and asked if they could all come back every June 3rd and "take us out to eat or something". How cute was that? These kids were just starting out or still in school and they wanted to come to treat us to dinner!! It was just the dearest gesture... and I got it.

So, when Lauren started the foundation to give kids the ability to borrow instruments we naturally thought that a fundraiser on that weekend would be a good idea...that way they could get together and have fun, and for me, remember happy times.

Saturday was our second annual "Home Run Derby" and I got to spend the day with all of John's friends ...from home and from Syracuse. John was a good athlete and loved baseball so all his friends from that area of his life had fun doing that and we also have all his friends that played music come and perform at the gazebo in our park where John played many times over the years. We have pictures of him drumming as a middle school student in his band "Johnny Elastic and the Rubber Bands" and then playing the guitar with "The Sunbeams" in high school...we even have a picture of him in the high school band, plume on the hat and all!! And as I sat and listened to his friends play his songs along with those of famous people I had to think how much he would have loved that day...it would have been his idea of perfection...sports and music. He would have been in awe of the number of people that came from so far away to pay homage to him...I know he would have been humbled by it because we always are.

I started thinking about the foundation that his sister Lauren has begun and wonder how we are going to keep it going...will these kids move on in life...get so caught up in their lives that they can't keep the committment? It worries me because Lauren is alone and clings to this for him. But then I realized that John would only care that people committ to something in life..to pick a cause that you have a passion for and support it ... in short...just help....contribute to the planet in some way...and that is what I would like to suggest today. For us all to take a minute before we fall asleep tonight to think of what good we can do, to pick something that we can keep at for a while, and do it. I have had mine given to me but many of you are lucky enough to actually have an option...and that is a wonderful gift to have been given in life. Good luck and thanks for your endless support.