I had this feeling of something ending. A happy ending but an ending. Little did I know that our relationship with Make-a-Wish had just began.
On the day of Moses' send-off party, our wish granter volunteer Erin told us she'd recently been hired by Make-a-Wish as a fundraising coordinator.
In the past few months I've loved the opportunity to continue our friendship. And, Make-a-Wish has connected us with some almost-too-easy-to-be-real ways to pay it forward while enjoying amazing, fun opportunities. Really, sometimes we need to just be present and share our story. I know about story. Numbers mean nothing but knowing someone and feeling like part of their journey means everything. It's such a small thing but what a blessing to play some role in it.
Early this year, Erin called and let us know that they had an opening for one more child to attend the big car show at The Biltmore, raising money for Make-a-Wish. Walking around the Frank Lloyd Wright designed resort's spacious courtyard filled with designer and antique cars, I felt like a character in "Gatsby" or "Downton Abby."
And the boys, all three of them, felt like they'd died and gone to car heaven. After we spent several hours judging favorite cars, we saw Michael Phelps speak (no, I did NOT play it cool) and talk about his own experiences with granting wishes for his little fans. Then, Moses helped awards the Wish Kid Choice award to a sweet, caring vehicle owner. We definitely had a "pinch-me-this-can't-be-real" kind of day.
Then, I got an e-mail from Erin, asking if we'd attend and speak at a pep rally at a local high school introducing the kick off to the school's Make-a-Wish fundraiser.
YES! I immediately knew I wanted to do anything I could to support Make-a-Wish.
Then I read some more. She said it was at a Mesa high school called Mountain View. That was MY high school. I knew we absolutely had to turn the schedule upside down if necessary. This one was ours!
It felt a little surreal showing up in the same front office I walked into for the first time almost twenty years ago and check in with "the guest speaker". Moses proceeded to explain to everyone he could stop that he came there to talk about "Bawaii" and his shark encounter so I knew we'd be just fine.
My heart soared as we marched through the school grounds, and into the auditorium full of stomping, cheering, yelling teenagers celebrating their school's winning sport's teams. But my heart didn't pound. And my palms didn't sweat. And my voice didn't feel caught in my throat. Something was weird. I know I haven't written much specifically about it but I've been dealing with a severe anxiety disorder that hit the ceiling about the time Moses finished cancer treatment and we got back from our wish trip. So the steadiness of my legs and the sureness in my voice stunned even me as Moses, Dan and I took the floor. I'd found something that had been lost. My words had purpose.
"I'm so excited to be here," I said. "I went to school here! This is my Alma Mater!"
The crowd roared. I don't know what I'd expected but I hadn't expected that!
I shared about our wish experience. However, Moses was the true star.
He didn't shy away from the microphone. He told them about swimming with a shark and a dolphin and eating delicious foods like hamburgers, french fries and Hawaiian shaved ice. The students leaned forward, laughed and cheered at all the appropriate moments. The thunder of a pep rally full of hundreds of teens had calmed into attentive silence and I've never felt more proud to be a Toro.
"Moses," I asked, "Do you have anything else you'd like to say?"
"Nah," he shrugged and the student's laughed.
While they continued laughing, Dan knelt down with the microphone and whispered to Moses, "Say, go Toro's!"
Moses looked at me and I smiled with a nod.
"Go Toros!" And the crowd jumped to it's feet with squeals, screams and cheers. The applause echoed through the gym. And then it got cooler.
"Moses, Moses, Moses, Moses!" The began chanting.
It went on for a good chunk of time. We just stood there soaking in the unbelievable, movie ending moment. It sounded like music and it gave us all goosebumps. Unsure of how to even respond we waved at the crowd, loving them back.
Later that night, I saw that my friend's son who's in the marching band had taped us on his phone and posted it. As I responded I began connecting with some of the students who'd been there. One said she could relate to the things I'd shared about our family because her sister had been a wish kid also and the things they'd been through leading up to that had been hard on them too. I knew as the kids gave their extra dollars to buy stars to hang around campus that they'd remember Moses and it would be personal and not something so far removed from them. The could be part of his story and so many others'.
Soon after that we received another call. Jack-in-the-box had just finished a hugely successful fundraising star campaign and they wanted some wish kids to attend a party they were holding at one of the top locations for the employees and some of the Make-a-Wish employees.
After this incredible head-bloating experience of having his name chanted in a crammed gymnasium, Moses had no qualms about taking an audience captive, one member at a time. We'd brought his Shutterfly memory book and he insisted that each grown-up there sit down and go through it page by page-every last foodie picture and sunset until he granted them leave.
We also had the opportunity of meeting two other brave little kiddos, one who'd also gone to Hawaii and another who had taken the Star Wars Disney Cruise. Everyone had a dolphin picture! Jack-in-the-Box handed over one of those extra large sized checks that I'd always dreamed of seeing in real life.
The hospitality warmed my heart. They fed all of us a fancy arranged assortment of all their fantastic jalapeno poppers, chicken strips and egg rolls. And they tried their darndest to feed poor Mo, finally insisting on at least cutting up a cucumber for him. I'd brought him his own snacks so he was as happy as can be but I know they seemed sad to hear about his dietary restrictions. However, what moved me the most was the location of this Jack-in-the-Box, in one of the poorer areas of Mesa. I knew that many of the customers who'd purchased these stars maybe have never dreamed themselves of going to Hawaii or on a Disney Cruise. They had so much tenderness and compassion in their hearts for these kids that they wanted these dreams to come true for THEM. The thought of such young children suffering from seizure disorders, waiting for an organ transplant or hooked up to an i.v. full of cancer treatment made their souls ache. They generously gave what could've bought a bigger meal or a chocolate shake to instead bless someone other than themselves. Their creator beams with pride. Blessed are those...
And so, I've realized it's true. The magic doesn't end with the trip.
One time, many years ago, Dan and I ate at a fancy restaurant in Sedona, one of the nicest places I'd ever been at the time. They placed your napkin on your lap and cleared the bread crumbs after the first course. This one waiter seemed to sense from anywhere in the restaurant everytime the tiniest sip of water left my cup. Seconds later he'd be there with a refill. At some point it became a game for me. I'd quickly sneak a sip and then BOOM out of nowhere, there he was. Dan and I would giggle the second he walked away. That's how we feel about the magic of Make-a-Wish. No matter how much we drink from, spill out or share, our cup refills faster than I can empty it. We try to water and grow something and yet the water rises faster than we can sprinkle it around. Most often, it's in a very non-tangible way, like staring at those stars hanging around the Jack-in-the-Box, watching my boys play Star Wars with another little boy with a life-threatening illness, or hearing that a teenage girl felt understood. And so, I've realized it's true. The magic doesn't end with the trip. The magic isn't just about the plane tickets. And I hope your life is always filled with that kind of magic too.
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