Love Notes: Fact or Fiction?

I was going to check my email tonight when I read something on Yahoo!'s website. It said, "Girl's gifts of love after death." I assumed it was about how a little girl donated some organs or something along those lines. After hovering my little mouse pointer over it, it read, "After Elena Desserich died of cancer, her family found hundreds of suprising tokens of love." I was intrigued. And as one does when they are curious about something on the World Wide Web, they click on it. So I did.

I found a heading that read like this...

6-Year-Old Girl with Brain Cancer Hid Love Notes for Her Parents to Find After Her Death

I continued on. This is what I read:

When 6-year-old Elena Desserich was diagnosed with brain cancer, she began hiding hundreds of little love notes around the house for her parents to find after she was gone. Here's the story:

Just before her sixth birthday, Elena Desserich (right) was diagnosed with brain cancer and given 135 days to live. She lived 255 days, passing away in 2007. After her death, Elena's parents, Brook and Keither, found hundreds of notes from Elena hidden around the house -- in between CD cases, between bookshelves, in dresser drawers, in backpacks...

"It just felt like a little hug from her, like she was telling us she was looking over us"

Elena left hundreds of notes like these:

Elena's parents, Brooke and Keither Desserich, have now published these notes in a book called Notes Left Behind to fund a non-profit orginization The Cure Starts Now dedicated to fighting pediatric brain cancer.

Now, this story is touching. It is incredible to read and really is something that speaks to the heart. But when I scrolled to the bottom I read tons of comments by people saying it was fake. First I felt gullable. And stupid. But come on. Think about it, these people are starting a non-profit orginization. If they were pocketing the money, it would be different. But they aren't. They are doing something that will help others.

So here are some of the things I read from people. After their comments I will write my arguments against them:

Schorsch writes: Sorry, but obviously fake! This means her parents never cleaned up in 255 days? Never found one single note by chance what (sic) would have spoiled Elenas hide-and-seek? Nice and hear-warming story anyway!

Response: They said that they found the notes between cds, in books, and drawers. You don't always clean those places. And who is to say they didn't find one or two before? But why would they think anything of it? Maybe after they found 10 they started really looking for more.

Henry Blackbird writes: Using a dead kid to sell a fiction book is pretty low.

Response: Even if it is fiction, the proceeds are going to a non-profit organization. So, why is this low if it is fiction, and that is an IF. What is so low about helping find a cure for brain cancer in children?

cuervokate writes: As an experienced oncology nurse of 15 years I knew as soon as I read "......given 135 days to live....." it was a hoax. Oncologists, and doctors in general, find it very difficult to give any type of specific time frame to dying pts (sic) and for this type of specificity, an exact number of days, is impossible. Shame on anyone who would use cancer and/or a child for profit.

Response: Depending on the date she was diagnosed, the doctor may have given her months, and for drama's sake, the parents/publisher may have decided to use a days time frame. And they aren't using this for self profit. I have heard a lot of cases recently where people were given a week to live, a month to live. So what if they dicide to say, "I have seven days to live." Or I have 29 days to live." (given the month)

guy writes: doctors don't pinpoint time to live. this story is twisted around. I really doubt you would tell your 6 year old she's going to die in 6 months???

Response: Some doctors do. And some six-year-olds are a lot more mature than you think. And if mine was dying, I would tell her she doesn't have to go to school. I would think her parents didn't just say, "You are going to die."

Now, a lot of people wrote nice comments. A lot more than bad ones. But why is it so many people are opting to take the low road?

I believe this is a true story. I want to know what you think. Endulge me.

I love my life

I was checking my facebook the other day. Looking at people's statuses, updates, etc. I noticed my sister-in-law Amy's status. It was part of a song, one of which I have never heard before. It went like this, "So sick of the hobos, begging for change. I don't like how I got to work and they just sit around and get paid."

When my husband Nick inquired about it, asking where she sees hobos, she laughed at his ignorance and told him it was a song called, "Hate my life." I asked why she listens to such crappy music. She then got defensive and told me that I listen to crappy music and to lay off cause it is her current favorite by theory of a deadman. (Kinda like a flavor of the week/month.)

So I looked it up. I was extremely appalled at the lyrics! Here is the link to the song. Warning, this song contains: HL (harsh language), EV (explicit visuals), and the writer is a VAP (very angry person).

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/theory_of_a_deadman/hate_my_life.html

So now that you have seen it/heard it. I would like to share a couple thoughts I have on it.

A. The title

Seriously! "Hate my life!" Wow. How pessimistic! Why don't you just speak worse on yourself! We are taught to speak life! Speak life! All I see these days are people saying "fml!" I get tired of it. This one time my friend Kat was talking to her friend that is in a wheel chair. She said she was having a horrible day. He said I had a horrible day once. She said oh yeah, what happened? He said, I got into a really bad car accident and could never walk again. She shut up. Whenever I even think about saying I had a bad day, I think about that.

It is like this. If you are breathing, your day is fantastic! If you are walking, you are having an incredible day! If you have the use of all limbs and you have apposable thumbs, life is looking superb! If you have a job, you are blessed! If you are loved, your life is going amazingly! Mostly, if you are a new creature in Christ, you are NOT having a bad day. If you can say yes to any of these, there should be no FML!!!! You should be happy! Thankful! Mostly, you shouldn't hate your life.

Speak life, not death. You have so whatever you say. And another, the bible says that we shall hate nothing except sin. Especially our lives that God has given us.

B. "I hate everyone, till the bitter end."

Wow, really? Everyone is pushing it. You are really saying a lot about yourself if you hate everyone just because you are an angry person who is mad at the world! And why does the end have to be bitter?! It doesn't! If you are bitter, you aren't saved. If you are bitter, you are living a life NOT of Christ. If you are bitter, you need God.

3. "How come I never get laid, nice guys always lose."

If he were a nice guy, would he be writing such crappy things? I mean seriously? Who lets this man make money off of this crap!?!?! I mean a couple lines later he is talking about underage girls. Now if he were married, and a nice guy, would he be hitting on other girls? Hmmmm....

4. "If you are P'd like me B's, here's what you gotta do. Put your middle finger up in the air and say..."

That is enough of that! I mean do I seriously have to say seriously again! Seriously! Dang! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Did you ever get your mouth washed out with soap? If you were my child I would take you right now and put soap in your mouth. And I mean the squirt bottle kind. Not the bar. (It leaves the taste in their mouth longer.... so... I've... h-e-ard?)

I am pretty sure the rest of the lyrics show how much he hates his life. How much he hates everyone else. How he wasn't hugged enough as a child.

E. The beat of the song.

Is it just me or does this song sound like a mix between "I love this bar" and anything by nickleback? W-eee-irrr-da.


So now I introduce to you my version. Ahem. *clearing throat* Me me me meee, you you you you yooooou. Ahem. Ok....

Love My Life by Lindsay Bertram

So blessed is my life, I want nothing to change.
I have a job, get to work, and I even get paid.
Most people don't have a car.
But I was able to save,
Enough money to get the one that spoke to my heart.

I don't like that my wife, isn't part of the higher class.
To her it isn't about the things,
There is more to life than cash.

I love my job, and all my friends.
I'll sing it the same, until this blessed life ends.
It'll all be alright, there's a bigger picture in sight.
I love my life!

How is it that some get laid off, and others will lose.
They all live lives filled with headaches.
Blaming everyone else, using every excuse.
But I have a job, and I love my chick.
"I wish they knew you Lord,
and just would learn to submit."

I love my job, and all my friends.
I'll sing it the same, until this blessed life ends.
It'll all be alright, there's a bigger picture in sight.
I love my life!
Yeah!

I love my kids, such an innocent age.
Don't know how to sass.
And they each have a smile on their face.

So if you're blessed like me,
friends, here's what you gotta do.
Put your hands in the air
And scream, "Hallelu!"

I love my job, and all my friends.
I'll sing it the same, until this blessed life ends.
It'll all be alright, there's a bigger picture in sight.
I love my life!

So many eyes to awake, so many records to break.
I love my life
It's always something new, "I'm so blessed to be used."
I really love my life!

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Chime in! Let me know what you think

Honoring a great man

When thinking about what to write for my very first entry, I didn't really know what to start with. So I would like to start with something that has been on my heart since the day I heard.

This entry is in memory of a great man... Hal Stenglein. Hal passed away on Oct 4th, 2009. Hal was 52 years young and was a wonderful man. He was a husband to Jill, father to Julia, John, and Justice, a brother to his sister and to all in Christ. He was a son to Abba Father. He was a great friend. He had a passion for many things. But his biggest passion he had was his family. He loved his wife and kids. And they loved him. He would do anything for anyone, and was a man of so many talents. His passing was a shock to us all and heart breaking. I couldn't believe it when I heard it and I still can't believe it has happened. Though here we are, almost a month after his arrival in heaven, and I still can't believe it.

When I was in the Yoop for his life celebration (funeral), we drove by the Stenglein house. I could see him, standing at the back his house. Smile on his face, waving. When we stopped in to visit, I heard him say,"Hey!" and give us a big hug with a smile. Always a smile. I heard his laugh. So joyful.

The life celebration day came, we saw him so peaceful, not at all what Hal looks like. He needed to be smiling. And it just didn't feel real to me. Jill made a beautiful slide show of pictures. They made me cry, smile, and laugh. Hal had lived such an abundant life.

I was amazed at Jill's strength. Hal is so proud of her. Julia and John too.

So many people stood up and gave their testimonies. So many stories and poems. I spoke and so did my husband. I was very proud of him.

I know most of this entry is about how I feel and what I went through in all of this, but I don't know how Jill feels. Well, we all say we can imagine. But really, we can only imagine it hurts. But unless any of us has lost a spouse or parent, child even, we can't imagine what their family is going through. And even then you need to understand the loss that has taken place. One that was such a shock. Something that happened so abruptly, like a bombshell hit. It was unexpected. And with that there comes more pain, I believe. And I think, that is the closest I will get to ever being able to imagine what Jill and the kids are feeling.

I am not saying that we didn't lose someone in our lives, that we aren't feeling pain too. But our pain is different. I have lost a grandpa and a cousin. Both were expected, neither were easy. But I think every loss is a different one, and comes with knowing that the loved one is no longer in any pain.

In honor of Hal I have wrote a poem for him. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.

It was too quickly, for us to say goodbye.

Remembering him with tissues in hand and tears in our eyes.

We honored a life that ended too soon.

Comforting each other by the light of the moon.

With Hal, hopefully, we will all be with one day.

Until that time comes, I will make sure to pray.

Pray for Jill and their kids, the family and friends.

For peace and comfort, until our time ends.

Until we go, we shall strive to live like our great pal.

So for now I will say, we miss you, see you soon Hal.

What this is all about...

So I thought this would be a great way to share with everyone my thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. I will write about our lives, His life, sometimes random things. Maybe share funny stories and other times...

serious ones.

Guess you will just have to stay tuned...

and read often.