HOT OFF THE PRESS

Five years later, it's a bit ironic to be back on this blog again -- with news of a brand new homegrown charity -- this time MY OWN!

I never set this blog up for that reason.

I never planned to start my own charity.

And yet.

Here I am.

When my Dad first got sick and was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, I was suffering the utter agony of a helpless daughter living three states and eight hours away from her Pops. I was buying books, sending cards, making phone calls, soliciting friends to pray... in short, "taking care" of my Dad became a fulltime job.

One of the thoughts that came to mind is that I needed something visible to give to people who were praying for my Dad. I based my idea on the funeral prayer card -- with a picture and quote -- only this version was a LIVING PRAYER CARD. I didn't want to wait until Dad died to get people praying for him. That struck me as way too late.

I can't tell you how much it helped knowing people both appreciated and were using the cards. "I have it in my purse," said my Mom's friend. "It's in the middle my refrigerator," said another. The card was really useful for me and my children, too. I put them up on mirrors, alongside picture frames, on all our bulletin boards, anywhere I could all over the house and it kept my Dad close to my heart and in my prayers all day long.

The first card looked a lot like a bookmark and I made a few frig magnets too.

I had the unfortunate honor of making a second prayer card for my Dad's funeral four months later.

More recently, a friend's husband was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. And at the same distance away as my Dad, I went in to the familiar anxious dance of "what can I do?" Another set of cards later, an idea was born.

Now I am offering my cards for sale with 10 percent of proceeds going to cancer care charities.

Watch this space for samples.

If all launches well, I hope to have a real website, with real ordering capabilities and eventually downloadable graphics.

Meantime, remember this charity is HOMEGROWN. So with baby steps, I present to you my name and logo....