Jenni continues to do well post-surgery. Please continue to leave your well-wishes and "Go Big" events here!
I thought I'd post something my dad wrote yesterday for today's post:
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We wake up in the morning and our first thoughts are toward the trials and tribulations we will face. What will I wear? What will traffic be like? Do I have enough cash for lunch? Is there enough time to finish that report?
Our stomach ties up in a knot. Our brain says, "Hey, it's not like it's life or death." Our stomach disagrees.
Sometimes, it is life and death. Lynette's friend Jenni is having one of those days today. I had one back in 1988. It puts things into perspective.
We take health for granted. Yet, it can go in the blink of an eye and our lives and those of our loved ones will never be the same. There is more high drama being played out in hospitals every day than Shakespeare ever considered and there's a lesson to be learned.
Maybe that shirt you are wearing has a stain on it, maybe Route 22 is backed up, maybe you'll have to stop by the ATM before you can eat lunch, maybe the boss will be all over you because the report is late, it's not life and death! You are breathing. Your loved ones are safe and sound. Everything else is gravy.
Love, Dad
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My Vision for Go Big!
On March 7, 2008 my life got turned upside down. I was unexpectedly diagnosed with a brain tumor which was so not on my to do list! Equally unexpectedly, I had neurosurgery on March 20 and the results of the biopsy indicated that the tumor was benign. Thank God! Along this journey, I have taken solace in the fact that this is a huge opportunity for us all.
I am a clinical psychology doctoral student at Vanderbilt University. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make a huge difference in the world. For a couple of days, I actually feared that I had wished this scary and chaotic experience on myself and my loved ones, but then I was reminded that "life prepares life" and it all started making a bit more sense.
In a whirlwind of pre-operative appointments, Dr. Kyle Weaver, my neurosurgeon, told me that I should "hold onto my blood" which was a huge blow to me as I try to be a regular blood donor. Without skipping a beat, however, my advisor, Dr. Bruce Compas, made me an offer to "pick up the slack" which I believe was the impetus for this whole GO BIG challenge as it struck me then that perhaps we can all be doing just a little more.
As a person who hopes to make a profession and a life of helping children and families, I'm committed to helping others in the best way I know how. Consistently, I work with parents and children teaching them to praise the good and ignore the bad. Not my idea, but it is a behavioral principle that works. Now, don't get me wrong--I'm not blind to the evil in this world. In fact, I'm struck by our culture's fascination with drama, hurt, despair, and scandal. It absolutely blows my mind that these negatives suck so much of our attention that we can relatively easily forget all of the 1000's acts of kindness that are going on right this very minute.
My hope is that this website can be a central location for all of us to capture all of the really awesome things that we are already doing and that we can all be inspired by each other's goodness. It's not an original or courageous idea (although some have called it that), it is just an opportunity to do something that I've always wanted to do. And, I'll bet that if I'm anything like you, I'm just doing the best that I can in this moment. Sometimes that means that I offend people. We are all imperfectly perfect and I know that that is where the true beauty lies.
There are no absolute rules because I couldn't possibly predict the creative and imaginative ways that we can each help one another. Well, that's a lie. There is really just one rule: do what you feel in your heart! Try not to feel like what you do doesn't matter. It does! If you don't believe me, read the postings for yourself and see what you think. To somebody in that moment, you will have made a difference and for that I am eternally grateful.
So if you feel it in your heart or your head or whatever pushes you to act, try to do something. Nothing is too small and nothing is too big. Just put one foot in front of the other, and if you wish, take a risk.
Overwhelmed with a sea of emotions and an outpouring of support from our community, Austin, the love of my life, and I have felt so very blessed. I believe that there is always meaning out there in this precious world of ours, sometimes you just have to squint to find it. This past several weeks has been a truly rock ride and my guess is that life always will be. So, step aboard if you are up for the challenge and let's see how far we can get this good to spread.
With great gratitude,
5 comments:
Jenni,
I'm so tickled that your surgery went so well. It does my heart good! I hope your hospital room has a window so you can see this beautiful sunshine today. What a treat! I'm continuing to think about you and am sending positive, loving thoughts your way!
And, Lynette, what a lovely message from your dad!
Love,
Shelly
that reminded me of the saying, "don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff (well, most of it anyway)".
we have a "small" rescue called Chloe - she was suppose to be a pyranees, but ended up being 40 lbs of dog and 100 lbs of moxy -anyway, boy does she love to run. she was voted "makes the grandest entrance to the dog park" on her first visit to Shelby Park - (i think they should call it Shelby Bark, but i digress). She will run the entire time we are there, no matter how long you stay. Occassionally, she has "gotten lose" at home. After the first 2 times this happened, my old native American spirit kicked in - nothing is under our control - we could hunt and hunt and hunt, and have, and not found her. But, when we wait patiently, Chloe's natural, God-given little homing device kicks in and she shows up fithy, wet, shphilked and full of twigs some time later (not that all dogs have this, it is something we have learned about while loving Chloe). Its good to do things, be active, fret over our lost pet and do what we can (we have to do something to appease ourselves, right?) (especially the loving part), but most of the time our best outcome happens when we wait patiently and let things happen as they will. Sometimes, if I get out of the way enough, my life actually evolves, my dog has the time of her life, we're actually happy she is muddy, smelly, wet and briar entwined. Be well Jenni! You have great days to come!
patrick
what shelly said! i keep looking at the sunshine and hoping you can see it, too.
just got back from visiting jenni, and i can say that she looks absolutely fabulous! the miracles of modern medicine continue to astound me.
jenni, i hope that you have a very quick recovery and we'll get to see you back and in action soon!
Jenni,
It sounds like you are doing better than anyone could have anticipated! I am so happy for you. Keep up your strength and get some well deserved rest. Wishing you a healthy road ahead.
Yesterday, I left a "GOBIGFORJENNI.BLOGSPOT.COM" dollar in the tip jar at the coffee shop (thanks for the bill idea Amber) and Katie and I left a little pile of GOBIG cards at the register.
xoxo
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