My friend Shannon

Please let me take a minute and let me tell you a little bit about my friend Shannon. Some of you may already know Shannon. She's not exactly a shrinking violet and she's not afraid to let you know exactly what she what she's thinking about any given topic. The size of her mouth is exceeded only by the size of her heart. I say that with love and I know that when she reads that she'll understand. And if she doesn't, she'll let me know. Shannon is the only friend I have who will call me at midnight and start our phone conversation with "Girl, SHUT UP!"

In the past couple years Shannon has been through more loss and tragedy than an entire boatload of people should have to endure in their whole lives. She has lost her son, her home, her health, her sister (in a manner of speaking) and several other family members.

But do you know what happens when you call Shannon? She asks right away "How are you doing?" And she means it. It doesn't matter how minor or silly your problem is compared to everything she's got going on, she really cares about what's happening in your life.

She's funny too. A little while back I called Shannon and I was in tears over some stupid issue or other. Not only did she not tell me to get over myself, she made me feel better. Within minutes she had me laughing over a crazy story about taking her dog to the groomer. She's got a million great stories and loves to share them. In fact, most of the times that we talk on the phone our conversation only comes to an end because my phone is dying.

Right now Shannon and her husband are raising (not just taking care of, but parenting) four young children who's parents are dealing with drug addiction. She does it with a sense of humor, energy and competence that most people would not be able to muster on even their best day.

And Shannon doesn't do it on her best day. She does it all while battling cancer. Cancer that has not responded to chemo. Cancer that is draining her energy and causing her great pain. She doesn't take her pain medication because it interferes with her ability to take care of the kids.

Shannon is not super woman though and right now she's not doing real well. She's fighting and if I know her she will continue to fight but she needs help. Please, send her your love, your prayers, your kind wishes, your good vibes. Those kids need her, her husband needs her, her friends need her. The world is a much better place with her in it. As her husband says "We did not come this far to lose her now."

One year ago today it was Easter.
Two years ago today my first IFs picked their egg donor.
Three years ago today I hated a guy on Top Chef.
Four years ago today I started this blog. Crazy.