May 17, 2011 22:35
No Relay For Life is complete without a little rain. What a wonderful and emotional weekend it has been. I first want to congratulate the new WTP Relay For Life court:Sandy Dwyer, Ms. Queen; Brianna-Marie Bell, Teen Queen; Giovanna Vitale, Preteen Queen; Kiarra Anderson, Preteen 1st Runner Up; Katylin Sweeney, Little Miss Queen; Gabrielle Angel, Little Miss 1st Runner Up; and Jazahera Moore, Princess Queen. Visiting royalty was Amber Miller, Miss Ohio Elite USA 2011; and Gracie Fusco, Ohio Cinderella Miniature Miss. The People’s Choice winner was Giovanna Vitale. I am proud to say that the contestants in the pageant raised over $300 for the Relay For Life event that day. What a wonderful example of the good pageant contestants can do with their skills and abilities.
We had wonderful sponsors who made sure the stage was beautifully decorated with flowers and each contestant went home with a generous prize package. Special thanks to our following sponsors: Scioto Blooms, Ohio Miss American Coed Pageant, Pure American Girl Pageant, the Greenbrier Inn,Grove City Family Dentistry, Bob Evans-Rio Grande, Qdazzle, Avalla, and CVS Pharmacy.
Some of the court stayed for the queen’s lap and the Calling Out of Names Ceremony. As we released our balloons into the sky, I had a feeling I would be heading home to South Dakota for my dad’s funeral. After a year of fighting cancer, it is time for my dad to go home to our Heavenly Father. My deepest thanks and appreciation goes out to the wonderful people of hospice who have taken such good care of him in these final days. I leave you with two of my favorite funeral poems in loving memory of my dad. I love you dad.
God Saw You Getting Tired
God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be
so he put his arms around you
and whispered,
“Come to Me”
With tearful eyes we watched you
and saw you pass away
and although we love you dearly
we could not make you stay.
A Golden heart stopped beating
hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best
For those I touched
There’s no need to cry for me,
Because I now finally see.
That there is a special place,
For all of us to be.
I rode that cancer highway,
Open throttle all the way.
Determined to ride cancer free,
But God had other plans for me.
So when you smile for me today,
You know everything will be ok.
Because my memories will live within you,
For each & every day.
Till we meet again… Ride on!
