Day 61-DANCING WITH THE LORD

Yesterday marked 2 months since Kelsey went to "Dance with Jesus". It seemed fitting that Karly and I each wore "Kelsey belongings" to the Gala yesterday. I wore Kelsey's prom tiara. Karly wore her prom dress and earrings. She is in everything we do, wherever we are. Karly commented on facebook how empty the halls are here without her "partner in crime". It certainly is different. It impacted her a bit harder this visit than last. Even though Karly looks great, the disease is progressing, and this became more real at this visit. So it starts some tougher things than she may be used too. Don't get me wrong. She is extremely tough. She was Kelsey's hero as she battled her Stage 4 Burkitt's Lymphoma. Nobody wants to endure pain and doing the unknown, so it makes it tougher for her to relive those feelings. She doesn't have her Kelsey mentor around to soften the blow and get the best advice possible. That certainly seems long ago; yet it is not forgotten. It was an amazing journey for our family. One that has changed us forever. God has been faithful throughout. We've had some emotional days. We have met some new faces that hopefully I will get to share about in the future as things progress in that relationship. The Gala was a time of celebrating the supporters of the Inn, what their support does for the kids that stay in the Inn, and it raised over $675,000 this year! She did an awesome job representing the Inn kids. There was a special performance by one of the longest going Inn kids(she's 24) and her boyfriend she met at NIH with the same disease. As a result of their disease, singing and note holding became part of her therapy. For him, it was the saxophone. So, together they performed " To Dream the Impossible Dream". They did an outstanding job. It brought me to tears on many levels. We dreamed of Kelsey's life on earth, but never as being impossible. It was awesome to see them living in spite of their illness. It was special to be at the Gala with pieces of Kelsey everywhere. It was 2 months since her death on earth, but living in God's presence. It was amazing to see Karly shine that night. Anyway, the night was wonderfully memorable. The Vice Presidential Suite was donated to us for the evening, so that made us feel pretty special. The evening was more special when cousin Deana and Debbie got to join us for dinner and the rest of the evening. Deana and Karly are always so spunky and have so much fun together. Dancing was a highlight for us, but I think everyone enjoyed it as much as them just by watching them together. As our time here is almost over this visit, there will be more reflection, but as always we have been supported, encouraged, and loved. Our hearts remain thankful and grateful and loving back to all of you. God Bless!
Love,
Mom