Well, the kids are back to school and my days are full of stuff. I am trying to keep myself busy to keep my mind off of everything. We had a good end of the summer, starting with the Kings game on Aug 23. I wasn't really expecting many people to be there because we did not really have many ticket sales that I knew about. But I could count at least 50 people who were there on Austin's behalf, even if we were not all sitting together. I can't tell you all how much we appreciated the support of those who were able to make it that night. I know it has been a busy summer, but it was great for us to see some friendly supportive faces.
In addition to those who made it to the game, 100 tickets were purchased on behalf of Austin and the neuroblastoma foundation by our dear friends the Balzacs from Texas. The Balzacs have a son Bronson who is a good friend of Austin's and who also has neuroblastoma, but thank God he remains in remission for I think it is probably going on a year now. Well we didn't want these tickets to go to waste, so I found 85 takers from my former coworkers and their families at Intercare Health Center, and the other 15 tickets went to the Deacon's Conference, a charitable organization here in downtown Kalamazoo. I hope all the tickets found a user who enjoyed the game over this past Labor Day weekend. A big thank you to the Balzacs for their encouragement and support. We miss you.
As for the rest of the week, we got the family away for the Labor Day weekend to my brother Paul and his wife Barb's new house. They live just a mile off of Lake Michigan, so we spent most of the weekend swimming, hiking the dunes, eating, and sitting around a campfire looking at the stars. Joanie, my sister, came up too, so it was a nice reunion. We returned home Sunday night to spend Labor Day at home with Joanie as our guest. It was nice to have some company in the house. My sister Margaret, and our nieces Emily and Melissa were here too, so it felt like a party. We somehow managed to get most of the kids to bed by about 10pm or so, which is pretty amazing considering the late schedule we have been keeping all summer.
The kids were off to school in the morning before I could really know what hit me. Fortunately a parent at the bus stop reminded me about the meeting at school to sign up for volunteering to help with various activities. I did OK walking in the door of the elementary school and greeting other parents and teachers. I proceeded to the gym where I intended to sign up to help out with Ryan's class, and in whatever capacity help was needed in the second grade class. I was still fine until the sheet was actually in front of me waiting for me to sign my name under one of the second grade teacher's names. But I didn't have a teacher to pick. Austin's former classmates are in all of the classes I am sure, and all I know is that I need to see them. I need to work with them. The tears flowed as I held my face in my hands and thought about how much I miss Austin. They flowed again as I signed my name on another sheet. And this morning I agonized over the lines on the school forms where it asks for the names of siblings at Amberly. I always had lots of names to put on those lines, but not any more. Ryan is our only child at Amberly Elementary now and this realization hits hard whenever I allow myself to think about it. It has been 4 months, and a week and a half since Austin died, but it feels much longer since he was not able to communicate with us for the last 7 weeks of his life. I am comforted only by the amazing people who we have come to know, and the stories that you all share with us of your memories of Austin. Thank you for that. I hope to start posting new pictures soon, as I have thousands of awesome Austin pictures to share with you all. His spirit lives on in the smile on his face, and the joy he shared with so many of you. God bless you all. Love, Fran
