A Thank You

I want to use this post to send a thank you to some very special people that I haven't gotten a chance to thank. While teaching at McPherson High School, I got the opportunity to work with some very amazing kids and parents. They all have impacted my life in ways I can't put into words. While I could go on and on about that, this post is dedicated to one very specific act of kindness. Last semester, I had the opportunity to teach a senior speech class. This group of kids decided to take on a project. They kept this project a secret from me. With no outside help, they organized a fundraiser. They had t-shirts made by a local company, worked out a deal with that company to donate some of the profit, and sold t-shirts to nearly every student at MHS. The t-shirts, black and pink, had on the back "Emaline" and the number "01" in the design of a basketball jersey. The pink shirts had the word "LOVE" on the front, while the black ones said "Ball So Hard." Again, this was all kept secret from me. This entire project was the result of some amazing and caring kids. They have no idea just how much I was touched by this.

On Monday, each member of our family wore one of the t-shirts designed by these kids. We got a lot of compliments on our shirts as we walked around the Ronald McDonald House and Children's Mercy Hospital, but my favorite part was telling everyone the story of how these shirts were created. You can't hear  a story like this and not feel good. Any time you start to question humanity or the coming generation, be reassured there are amazing kids that will continue to do good in the lives of others. To these kids, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I miss each and every one of you so much.

I also want to thank everyone that has sent kind words, donated time, food, money, prayers, and everything else of the course this very special girl's life. We can't say thank you enough and we appreciate everything!