Say I love you.....

Here’s something up lifting and quite amazing. There is a GTF function called Art & Soul. I volunteered last year to help run it. A kidney recipient is the creator and his way of honoring his donor is to raise funds for GTF. Artists donate their art work and a silent auction is held. There’s food, music, beautiful art, and plenty of good friends (new and old) during the evening. Last year I bid on a painting called “Heart to Heart” – a modern work displaying varying shaped hearts on a canvas about 5 X 2. Two other heart recipients (friends) and a new friend whose wife was a recipient added their monies to mine and we bought the painting. It now hangs in the office of our heart coordinators at Emory. I find that very copasetic.

This year it is being held on Oct 1st . Mary has a few artist friends and I sent them the flyer and the artist’s agreement to see if they wanted to donate some art in honor of Mary. One of the artist friends works at Drake Software with Mary. Well………. within 3 hours she called me back to say she and probably 7 others wanted to donate their art and create a “table” honoring Mary. They are SO excited about doing this. I was speechless, and for me that’s saying something. The water works burst forth and I was barely able to say “Oh, my god, you’re kidding”. Mary’s friend said they had been trying to think of something to do for Mary, something to show to the world what an impact she has on their lives. There are painters, photographers, wood workers, potters, glass blowers, etc. I guess western NC is just bursting with artsy people. Mary’s natural artistic abilities were developing, too. She drew a portrait of the little girl she was a nanny to 4 years ago that still hangs in the parents’ house. Who knows how famous an artist she would have been.

The event is not held in a huge building like the one in February so any pieces of art that don’t sell (can’t imagine that) or there’s not enough space for will be used for the “Spring Training” event held at the Aquarium. Then we WILL have a table unto ourselves telling the world about Mary again.

Saturday I was again going through all the cards people gave us at Mary’s party or sent to us. All the beautiful words they have to say about Mary makes my heart swell. I am so proud of her. I can only take credit for helping her into the world. Who she became, the people’s lives and hearts she touched, her unselfish generosity, her high flying spirit, (I could go on and on) is all her doing.

I don’t ever want Julie or Danny to find out how many people love them from a situation like this. I know they also have touched many people’s lives. We all need to tell those around us how much we care and not wait till it’s too late. I can’t say that too many times and I will say it over and over. Take a second, a minute, 15 minutes….call someone, write a letter, send a text message, leave a note on the door……tell someone who might not realize how much you care that you do care. You can never say “I love you” to too many people or too often.

I say all this with tears streaming down my face. I have so many wonderful new friends. I opened Mary’s heart and they all poured out. My wonderful “old” friends are awesome too. I, too, feel well loved by family and friends even though I don’t deserve it.