My mom's party is done and over with so that means it's time to move on to planning the Spring Tea Fundraiser for the Relay for Life. I've been pounding the pavement (or the keyboard as it were) drumming up donations for items to use in our basket raffle.
We're doing well. We've got some great baskets, Avon, Scentsy, wine....and we've got some great gift certificates from places like Glama Gal Tween Spa and the Bowmanville Zoo. My goal is to have at least 20 items available for the basket raffle.
I'm also adequately annoying the FB world with my constant reminders to "get your tickets now!!" I know it's not until April 14th but I panic when my mind is in gear and I worry that we won't sell any tickets. I know it's unfounded, last year's tea sold really well and we raised over $800 but I still stress.
My uncle has again generously offered to match what we raise up to $5000 (which is our goal this year) and holy crap, I can't even begin to think about how freakin' excited I would be to raise $10,000.
I posted an ad on Kijiji a week or so ago selling diaper cakes. I got an email the other day from someone who wanted to buy a Mickey Mouse themed one. She wanted to spend between $40-$50. My ad clearly states that the funds are for charity. So I build in a $10 'pledge' into the cakes I sell. So a $40 cake would have $30 worth of goods in it.
Naturally a themed cake, especially a Disney one, is going to cost more - the goods cost more. But I gave her 8 cake options in her price range (and they were excellent) I then discovered that she lived an hour away from me and wanted it delivered. Fine, but it's gonna cost an extra $20.
I got an email from her this morning. Apparently she was not impressed with the delivery charge. She seemed to think I was a 'business' not an individual. She then had the balls to question whether or not the money actually went to charity and how would she know. (because had she taken the time to click the link to my Papa's Pride blog either in my ad or in the siggie of my email she would have read all the information and answers to those very questions.)
Wow. I can tolerate a lot but I will not abide someone questioning my honesty or integrity. And had she just bitched about the cost of the cake I would have said fine, have a lovely day but I couldn't let the comment about the money going to charity go. So I had to 'correct' her. (Remember in The Shining when the ghost of the former caretaker told Jack Nicholson that he "corrected" his wife and creepy twin daughters...and he rolled the r's. That's how I hear that in my head) I emailed her back and very calmly and succinctly let her know her mistakes. I haven't got time for assholes.
One final note. I follow a lot of blogs, though I'll admit some of the ones I used to really enjoy I don't read anymore. They just seem silly now. It's one of those things cancer changes about you - some things seems pretty trivial that didn't before. Anyway, I read two or three blogs from people who are also travelling this crappy road called cancer. It's a not so elite club that I'm not happy to be a part of but since I am I figure I'd like to read about how others are dealing so I can feel normal. I've learned that we all deal differently. Some hit the pits of despair. Some get very factual. Some you can tell are holding back their true feelings and others are letting it all hang out (I am in this group).
My blog was mentioned today in one of the blogs I read and it made my heart happy. The whole point of my putting it all out there, letting the world know my deepest darkest feelings about this cancer journey is so that others who are facing it can know that A: they are not alone and B: someone else out there feels the same way and it's normal.
Yes, I joke about my cancer. My girlfriend brought me a birthday cake shaped like a boob for my birthday, the same day I got out of the hospital from my mastectomy. (this is the same friend that grabbed a handful of real boob and prosthetic and said "I can't feel the difference!" If I'm wrestling with Sean I'll say things like "oh, you just punched me in my cancer" My brother commented to me once that he paid an arm and a leg for his house but I paid my right tit for mine. (in reference to our health crisis insurance) and I thought it was the funniest damn thing I'd heard in a long time.
Not everyone is in that place. Cancer is certainly not funny but for me, finding the humor in life is what keeps me happy. It keeps me sane. Laughter might not be the cure but it sure as hell helps! At least for me.
My heart was happy because if my boring little blog can bring a ray of sunshine, hope, inspiration or a even a dose of reality to someone who's in these shoes then I feel like I've accomplished what I set out to do when I decided to put my fight with cancer out there for the world to read about.
Charla, thank you for making my heart happy. We might be in very different places but your strength is awesome to me.
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