A New Year at Luke's Lids!

Happy Almost New Year!  Farewell 2012, thanks for the memories, challenges, losses, and joys as each was a lesson learned (hopefully!).  Hopefully, those who were a recipient of a Luke's Lids for Kids hat or headband were able to feel the love that went along with it!

I'm proud to say that Luke's Lids did very well this year!  We accomplished the following:
Special Days Winter Camp Hat Donation
Four donation drops to Central DuPage Hospital Cancer Center and the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital at Loyola University Medical Center
Special Days Summer Camps (both Special Days and Partners Camps) Hat Donations
Individual Hat Donations to 15 Special Warriors via Facebook Connections
Donated headbands as an action item for Aidan's Army Fundraiser for Lurie Children's Hospital
Participated in 2 craft shows raising money to continue this project
Connected with 2 fantastic knitters who are crucial in making the project successful and also connected with a young man who gave up birthday presents in favor of collecting hats for kids with cancer!

Yep, I think that is a pretty successful list for a small project like Luke's Lids.  It's nice to see these hats and headbands made with such love going out and hopefully spreading a little joy and laughter along the way.  I remember when my brother Luke was sick, all I could do was pray that each day he would be a little better and find a reason to laugh.  That's really the whole purpose for this project, it's finding ways to be an instrument of love.  Mother Therese says "do not do great things but do small things with great love" and I think that is what we all do in our daily lives.  Most of us are not millionaires who can give millions to causes we believe in but I think most of us are always looking for ways to make our part of the world a little better so we do what we can with all the love in our hearts.  I have such wonderful examples around me too!  While we were growing up my mom worked in Adult Foster Care homes with individuals who had mental illnesses or developmental disabilities and she often brought her residents to our farm for holidays so they would have a loving family to spend them with.  My dad is a REGULAR at the American Red Cross donating blood and platelets (I'm pretty sure they have his cell on speed dial)!  My dad's mom was a teacher and then a volunteer paramedic during her amazing life and was honored as the American Red Cross Volunteer of the Year a few months before she lost her battle with non-Hodgkin's Disease.  My mom's mom has spent her life caring for her family, especially for my Grandpa who had Multiple Sclerosis but never spent a day in a nursing home.  She devoted herself to him because of how much she loved him, pure selfless love, the face of God kind of love.  I have 1 sibling who is in the Coast Guard (Joel) and 1 who is a Veteran of the Coast Guard (Kim).  One sibling who is a teacher (Lance), one who is an officer of the court (Luke), one who is the most loving and patient father of 4 (Paul), and one who is there for any of us at any time, day or night (Andrew).  This is a testament to how we were raised, to give what we can, whatever that is, with love. It's not the act that matters, its what the motivation is and the love with which it is given.  I hope this is the lesson my children are learning and it's thanks to my amazing husband for believing in the project and supporting the kids who are its recipients.

There are so many people who help make this project possible and it is from the bottom of my heart that I thank you!  My knitters, my bow makers, my sister for her creativity, Luke for being an inspiration, my kids for being hat makers, my husband for being the best Chief Financial Officer while I retain the Chief Executive Officer title (haha), my family for being such an amazing inspiration, and all the kids who have to go through this wretched awful disease please know we do this for you and we pray for you and we surely do LOVE you!

Much love to you all and I hope that 2013 is the best year yet!  God Bless!

One last call to action, Special Days Winter Camp is coming up, last weekend in January so I'm sending out the call for hats!  They are expecting approximately 110 campers so that's 110 hats needed.  Anyone who wishes to help, I would be most grateful.  You can contact me tanyalg30@hotmail.com.  Thanks!