Good morning family and friends. Today is November 24, 2014. “As the valley gives height to the mountain, so can sorrow give meaning to pleasure; as the well is the source of the fountain, deep adversity can be a treasure. “ ~William Ward What a rush! Our fundraiser, “Spare A Life/Strike Out Pancreatic Cancer 2014” was a huge accomplishment. I wish to send out a huge thank you to the many people that made this inaugural event such a success. Thank you to my son, Brett Kosanovich, for orchestrating the ins and outs of the entire event, as well as the other “Spare A Life” committee members -- Nicole Umfleet, Shannon Umfleet, Cindy Sanders and Ann Skinner. They all worked endlessly for 2 months to accomplish our goals. A big thank you also goes out to the volunteers who worked the event – Cindy Sanders, Kathy Fenner, Kim McGinley, Gina Gannuscio, Claudia White, Jackie Skinner, Sarah Willetts, Judy Seramur, and Ann Skinner, as well as Brian Sanders and Tim Sanders for hanging the lane sponsorship signs; to the Dale Leithleiter Family for donating the lane sponsorship signs; to Kelly Hayden for taking so many priceless pictures!; to Martha and Lowell Country Lanes for serving a delightful lunch and providing us with a great bowling experience; and to the MANY people who generously donated – whether they be in the form of lane sponsorship, raffle items, cash donations, 50/50, shirt purchases, or dessert contributions – it all was so very very much appreciated. My heart is humbled beyond description. I knew that the event would be successful – there wasn’t a doubt in my mind due to the devoted efforts of my team. But never in my wildest dreams did I think that we could raise such an outstanding dollar amount to donate to Pancan and pancreatic cancer research. That gross number raised??.... Drum roll please..... $15,683.43! Unbelievable! Mind-blowing! Fabulous! Tremendous! Extraordinary! ... I am still shaking my head in disbelief and sheer gratitude. It was my personal goal to be able to attend “Spare A Life/Strike Out Pancreatic Cancer 2014, and I was so blessed to say, “I made it!” To see the unbridled contributions and the sea of friends and family in attendance –some travelling many miles -- was truly a highlight of my life. I thank my Lord for allowing me this opportunity to bear witness to this great event, and I know in years to come, it will continue to be a successful bond to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research and raise awareness of this demon of a disease. I say this now in all honesty – I WILL be in attendance in all future Spare A Life fundraisers, whether it be physically or spiritually. I will be there... I am continuing my battle with cancer, and each day I will admit has its challenges. I was pretty esthetic when the pain blockage procedure that I had performed alleviated my back pain almost totally the week after the procedure. Perhaps I celebrated the procedure’s success too soon as 5 days ago, the pain began to reappear, and I now regret to have to say I am back on pain medication again. I’m quite disappointed, to put it mildly, as living with chronic pain pays a toll on you both mentally and physically. I do what I have to do at this point in time – I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, and I know it is going to continue to get more difficult as time passes. Yet I will continue to praise God for the blessing of the morning sun and ask Him for strength to see this through.. Thanksgiving is just around the corner – are you ready? We’ve got our turkey slow thawing as we speak. I saw a cooking show that recommended that for every 4 pounds of meat, you should slow thaw in the refrigerator a day. Six days oughta do ours! Now to purchase the ham.... Wishing all of you Happy Pre-Turkey Days and a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for – how nice to have a special day to acknowledge that. Take in every moment spent with family and friends and make them fond memories. As always, be sure to smell the roses... for they bloom for you. Love to all. EXCERPT from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young: “November 24: Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience – at times, blind obedience. To people who don’t know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain. Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity.”
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 13:23:03 +0000
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