Walked for the National Kidney Foundation :)

Today I went to the local Kidney Walk 2011; I had joined a team of my favorite cafe online, and didn't raise much but I still felt good about participating.
I arrived on time, for once, and found myself wandering around alone; I'm terrible at faces & names, and I don't know the owners of the cafe that well.

Then an old friend tapped my shoulder. She was a welcome sight, and it turns out that she was a member of a team even closer to my home. We attended the same church in town for a while, til I wandered away, and she's always been very friendly and asked me to come back often.

Her team was called Tim's Posse; and this Tim I know also! I spent a day last summer power washing the side of the church with him. Since then I've lost lots of weight; in fact, I told his girl who was with us last summer that the jeans I split that day (Only! one of the seams, not both; jeans have double seams, you'll recall!) now need a belt to keep from falling down the first time I take a step :).

Anyway, it turns out that Tim has to have dialysis three times a week. I asked him about how to get screened for a donation, and we got to talking. He has been on the list for a while, but then he got another illness that's knocked him off the list for a couple of years. He's remaining remarkably positive about it all! He made it all the way around the lake there, and the whole walk was only twice around. Then I got to talk to the girls.

I also ran into another friend; I'm not close with her but we are friendly; and it turns out she is a recipient. She spoke at the rally, and she was choked up to see just the few hundred people there, trying to raise money for research and transplant care.

I felt about that big, thinking about how self centered I've been lately, about my own worries. Surely, if they can be bright and grateful to be alive and kicking, and happy, I have got Nothing!!! to even take my mind off of my family and my own abundance and wealth of friends and life.

I've heard a few times, that the best revenge is living well. With examples like these two, I have got a LOT of ground to make up!