LIFE ACROSS AMERICA 2010

Wow! and Double Wow!

The kiddo’s (a term of endearment at my house) did it! Congratulations, to Joseph (JJ), Cody, Maya, and Brytanny! Four of the most amazing young men and young women, in our society today. They started a project which they were unfamiliar with, didn’t know the challenges along the way, and followed it through to the successful completion today, which ended in the Surgeon General’s office in the HHS (Health and Human Services) building, downtown Washington DC.

They were exposed today to their (15 seconds of fame), news reporters, news conferences, lots of pictures with the celebrities of the PHS dept (Public Health Safety) and then finished it off, with a box lunch at which they were treated as celebrities, the final exclamation point to the day was an ARC blood drive at the HHS building, at which time Joseph (JJ) gave a unit of blood, surrounded by Mz Brenda, Mz Terri, Mr. Scott, Mr. Ed, Cody, Maya and Brytanny, to give him support.  At which time he became a “bridge” to the future and a spokesman for his generation.

Congratulations to each one of you, who participated in this amazing, incredible, interesting, and challenging goal of cycling from LakePark, FL., to Washington D.C.

You made it, you did it, and noone can ever take that memory away from you … it will serve as a foundation for the rest of your lives … including the good, the bad and the ugly … yet, it will help you paint a beautiful life painting, which you will be able to reflect back on, and share with your friends, your children, and your grandchildren.  A memory of yourself, which reads … “I did something, I made a difference, I contributed “good” to our society.”   Thank you for allowing us, the supporting team, to share in your success and accomplishment.  It was an honor and a privilege!

To Scott and the VanDuzer Foundation (especially the SPONORS) who made this all possible, THANK YOU!

To the Be A Hero team of riders and support group members,  Scott, Brenda, Terri, Ed, Jeff, Dan and Wendy, JJ, Cody, Maya, and Brytanny … you were awesome and a great example to your family, friends, schoolmates, Boys and Girls Club members!  You raised the bar, a lot!

To Mz Brenda and Mz Terri … thank you for giving it “your all”, your heart and soul, to the kids, to the successful completion of this trip, we couldn’t have done it without your input and your loving support of your BGC team … may you continue to be blessed with love and affection throughout the rest of your lives!

To Ed (Scott’s best friend) you are a blessed man, a man of integrity, and a peacemaker, thank you for sharing the last month with us.

To Dan and Wendy, amazing … Dan, you never ceased to give us excitement, and to keep us grounded to the other side of our brain, no matter what we were discussing, you definitely were able to able to articulate both sides of the fence, by recognizing the difference in people, and then respecting that difference, thank you!  Wendy, thank you for taking care of Dan which he was down, but not out, and thank you for taking care of “all the stuff” that Scott gives to you to finish … you are awesome, kid!

To Jeff, what can I say … “Mr Fix-it” man, you not only spoke quietly about what you believed in, you actually lived it … you fixed so many things on the motorhome along the way, you gave of yourself to the kids, as you trained them in the beginning, and did many things for them and the rest of the team behind the scenes, in a quiet, unassuming way, that it was a great example to the rest of us, thank you for your “service” and “contribution to this BAH project.  May God continue to bless you and your family!

After we donated blood in DC … and Scott and his family, with Ed and Tina, departed on a well-deserved family time vacation, then Mz Brenda, Mz Terri and the youngsters left on a quick tour of DC historical sites, that left Dan, Wendy, Jeff, and I with some time to unwind … guess what, Sassa, (Dan’s son) who lives in the area and is a cyclist, said … “why don’t I gave you a bike tour of DC?”

What do you think we all said?  Absolutely! So we unloaded our bikes, and, set out following Sassa, on a bike tour of some of the historical sites (check out the pix).   After 31 days of cycling, it was a wonderful way to “unwind” … a slow easy “spin” ride (because we had just given blood) and for me,(who hates walking because it hurts so much) I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!  What a great idea … thank you Jeff and Sassa, you put the “indeed” exclamation point on a wonderful and successful “Be A Hero” ride to D.C.  (Trust me we had many of those kind of moments along the way to our goal and destination)

Thank you, Sassa, for being you, and showing us a newer, and better way to travel in the big city of Washington D.C. … you are awesome!

Well, that about wraps it up for me … it was an amazing experience to be an “participant and observer” at the same time … Thank you to everyone, who followed us, supported us, gave us encouragement, took us into your homes, fed us, hugged us, took pictures with us, FaceBook’d us, and helped us in every way … we couldn’t have done it without you!

I know that my life has been enriched by the new friendships that I made along the way to the top of the hill … and … I’m even giving “thanks” for the trials and challenges along the way!

“See you when I see you”  and always remember … “Giving Blood is the one Gift that TRULY comes from your heart!

Larry F.  (www.lifeacrossamerica.com )

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