The Tears At Relay 2011

Relay For Life 2011.

I was a hot, blubbering, wet mess last night. 

There's something about friends and family uniting, coming together for a purpose.  What I experienced last night is indescribable.  No words or pictures could do it justice.  Being there is something you just have to experience for yourself.  Being there to see everybody come together to set up camp and become family for one night. 

Compassion. 

Peace. 

Love. 

Support. 

And lots of tears.  Happy tears and sad tears. 

There's so much I love about Relay.  Let's start out with the the Survivor's lap.  The night started out with our teams lining the track.  (Our team, The Kangaroo Crew, raised over $2000!) Once all the teams were announced and lined up, the survivors gathered and took the first lap of the night, together, while the crowd cheered them on.  It was a sea of purple. 

They walked and we clapped. 

They held hands and we clapped. 

They cried and we cried. 

Like I said, I can't describe this event.  I was bawling.  Thank goodness, I held Makayla in my arms.  Distracting her and holding her helped me to keep my composure at a normal level!  Why was I crying so hard?  First of all, I was so happy to see so many people I knew walking around that track.  They are survivors!  My heart goes out to them for what they have gone through in their lives.  The pain, being scared, the fight.  But they are here and they are alive! I cried because I played the "what if" game.  What if I ever got cancer and ultimately it took my life.  I would leave my babies here on this Earth without their mother.  I thought about that and everything that goes along with that.  It made me stop breathing for a little bit.  Then I thought what if one of my babies ever got cancer.  I wanted to drop to my knees.  I squeezed Makayla a little tighter, cried a little harder, and thanked God for my life right here, right now.   I know a lot of people who have had and do have cancer.  I am also in the healthcare field.  I see cancer everyday.  It's real.  It's scary.  It happens and there's nothing we can do about it but fight, pray, hope, and believe.  So, during the Survivor's lap, my mind was busy!!  Although I was a crying mess, I wasn't the only one.  I'm sure there wasn't a dry eye in the building.  Seeing all of the purple shirts is your only clue that they are cancer survivors -- each one having their own incredible journey of recovering from, fighting or surviving cancer.

After the Survivor's lap, it was time to have some fun.

Makayla:  Mission Ready

Getting her face painted like a kitty cat. It was her first time getting her face painted and she loved it.  She was quite dramatic as it was being done.  Every time the brush touched her face, she dramatically jerked her back and blinked her eyes 50 times.  I was laughing so hard, I had tears rolling down my cheeks.   

 Notice the whiskers are smudged!  She scratched them immediately as she was getting out of the seat!

Mason just woke up from a 45 minute nap in his wagon.

This was actually a site to throw wet sponges at Bob's face.  After Makayla attempted her three throws, we just decided to get a picture of her as a kangaroo.

After a little fun of walking, playing games, winning prizes, eating, visiting, and laughing

...along came my second breakdown of the night.

The Luminary Ceremony

 All of the lights were turned out and the track was lit up with luminaries honoring those who have won their fight or are still fighting and remember those we lost.  The first lap was led with the bagpipe, playing "Amazing Grace".  That alone is enough to bring me to tears, but to add the reason why we were united together - to find a cure for cancer - made it even worse.  Thank goodness the lights were out.  After the lap of "Amazing Grace", there was a second lap of PURE SILENCE.  The luminary ceremony had an incredible impact.  Once again, I can't even begin to describe this and the feelings I had.

It feels good inside to know that, in some little way, my participation has helped improve the life and health of at least one cancer survivor - someone who struggles and fights for their life every single day. It's "that" feeling I get, that makes me want to participate in Relay For Life. 

It was a great time celebrating together and I hope that our efforts will one day make cancer a stranger to all of us...that we can one day raise our families in a cancer-free world.

We will be back again next year to celebrate, to remember, and to fight back!