this is why

forgive my sentiment. i've had a moment of definition this morning. a defense my writing: the good, the bad, the odd.

i write because i refuse to believe that i am unique.

i choose to believe that somewhere out there is someone else going through the same things. the same feelings. the same emotions. somewhere there is a person having the same thought. the same concern. the same stress. the same joy.

i write to give a voice where perhaps they cannot. i write so they will know they are not alone. i am here to share the good and the bad. i hope that people can find this and read it and maybe once or twice nod their head in agreement with or make a connection to my corner of the word.

i write because i have become strong enough to write. i have faced some of my fears and learned to stand up to them. i have learned to stand up for myself. i have learned to speak out loud. i am still learning to face loneliness. sorrow. tragedy. pain. feeling. and i am willing to share that. i am willing to stand in the gap and provide a connection. to be the bridge from an island of solitude to a community of strength. i may not understand in full, but i understand in part. we can never fully understand those around us, but we can be willing to share what we do know and hope that a small part is enough to continue on.

i want to share. the good days and the bad days. i want people to know they're not alone. i fear that i have already missed opportunities to do this. i fear that if i could have reached out earlier...things...may be different now. and i want to face that fear and move forward and take the missed opportunity and help something good grow out of it.

so here i will continue to lay bare my life. from my point of view. and hope that is enough.

LOVE HARDER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcR9Q_1ucc0
From Laurie:

Our Plea

Our friend Brandy is a brilliant writer, a wonderful teacher, and a generous friend. And she is in love with a man who has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

We are raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund in his name. For the price of a cinnamon dolce latte, half-caf, hold the whip, you can be part of an effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide.

http://www.loveharder.org

Every dollar brings us a dollar closer to a cure. And every donation brings a sliver of hope to a girl who needs all the hope she can get.

Love Harder,
[Your Name]


What You Can Do

• Give. Be part of a worldwide effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide. Every dollar helps.
  
  
• Pass it on. Forward this story to five people. Share this blog post. Become our fan on Facebook.
  
  
• Love harder. Life is short, love is unbending, and no one knows what could happen next. Tell someone you love them today.
  

Where Your Money Goes

• The American Institute of Philanthropy recently named The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation one of the best organizations to give to in terms of their accountability and use of resources.
  
  
• By working closely with researchers, clinicians and partners in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, the MMRF has helped bring multiple myeloma patients four new treatments that are extending lives around the globe.
  
  
• The MMRF has advanced twenty Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. They need your support to advance these clinical research programs and accelerate the development of better, more effective treatments.
  
  
• The MMRF's Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative recently became the first to sequence the multiple myeloma whole genome in its entirety.
  
  
• A whopping 98% of your donation to the MMRF will be used immediately to support high-priority multiple myeloma research.
  
  
• With diminishing funding for early stage drug development and the next myeloma treatments not expected to be approved until 2011, the MMRF desperately needs your help.
  

Brandy's Story (if you already posted this, you can just link to your original post)

My name is Brandy. And I have a blog.

And a plea.

I use my blog to showcase the crazy I meet everyday, share the stories of the kids I teach, and document my love for tequila, dairy products and the abdominal muscles of Ryan Reynolds.

Rarely do I talk about personal issues on my blog-- as personal as the dude that I adore. But I need your help. And it involves my dude.

He's a guy who made math comics for my class, so they would love learning about addition. He's the guy who sends my friends gift cards when they are having hard times, who remembers every story I ever told him, who was the first person I celebrated with when I got a teaching job.

He's the guy who sent flowers to me at school-- dozens of my favourite pink roses just because he loves me. He's a guy who has spent a year patiently explaining (and re-explaining) everything there is to know about football during the important games when silence is preferred.

He's made me word puzzles and comics and stayed up late playing Scrabble with me (even though I beat him almost every time). He's listened to me cry about school and family and jobs. He is everything I never knew I needed and everything I always knew I wanted.

I realize this all sounds dramatic, a Lifetime movie in the making-- but this is life. Right now. And I'm throwing away any hint of ego and am humbly asking for you to pray or think kind thoughts. If you are able to pass this on, thank you.

This isn't a call for sympathy or a plea for pity. It's just one girl hoping you can think positive thoughts for the person she adores. If my current heartache provides you with anything, let it be the reminder that life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next.

Thank you for reading this, and if you haven't already? Please tell someone you love them today.

I did.


DONATE: http://www.loveharder.org
CONTACT: theloveharderfund@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.loveharder.org
MORE INFO: http://www.themmrf.org