Part 2- GWA Santa Barbara Tour~2 Rancho La Huerta~ The Old Mission Santa Barbara Garden

"It is not easy to convey a sense of wonder, let alone resurrection wonder, to another. It's the very nature of wonder to catch us off guard, to circumvent expectations and assumptions. Wonder can't be packaged, and it can't be worked up. It requires some sense of being there and some sense of engagement."

~ Eugene H. Peterson 

To experience a historic garden, to learn how people engaged land and life in the context of time longer than what a generation walks, a garden is more compelling  than a walled up study hall.

The beauty of Santa Barbara is far more complex than what we learned from our 4th grade text books when when we arrive at the chapter on California missions. Santa Barbara is the central belly button of in the string of missions run up the coast. Its location was set by need, its scenic beauty shaped by disaster as well as by man. 

Photo from SantaBarbara.com 

In 1769, the Spanish Crown authorized 21 missions to be built from San Diego northward. Each was a day's ride by donkey. The missions were not only an exercise in spreading Catholicism: the national interest included the political motive to forestall Russian colonization of coveted territory. 

Huerta (pronounced Where-tah) is Spanish for a kitchen garden.  Even in hostile territory, man cannot live by bullets alone. Every settlement required a fertile space, with access to water and reasonable protection from marauders be dedicated to food crops.   Seeds from the new and old worlds were tended with prayerful reverence. 

While the actual Mission Era was bracketed within 65 years- its effects are the foundation of modern California commerce and culture.

             

Distinguished educator Jerry Sortomme channels reams of knowledge to GWA group

Fast forward a couple centuries

As dawn was breaking on June 29, 1925, a 6.8 earthquake violently shook beneath the Santa Barbara Channel. The nearby earthen Sheffield dam; the ground beneath it liquefied. The dam collapsed; a knee-high wave of water shoved cattle and all which lay in its path to the sea. Downtown Santa Barbara's buildings trembled until most of what remained was rubble. The mission was slightly spared, its facade significantly damaged, the collection of statues- destroyed.  

Three men were singled out as civic heroes for turning off the city gas and electricity on that day, preventing full-scale destruction and carnage. The civic fathers and citizens used the opportunity to re-brand the city's architecture from mostly Moorish to Spanish Colonial.  

                              

The land near the mission was not a priority.  For some decades, where The Huerta now flourishes, it would have fairly been described as a dumping ground. However, you can't keep a good garden down. As a family's culture is expressed in the meals we serve, California's civic history is most authentically expressed in horticulture.  

When the time was ripe,rubble was reclaimed from the neighborhood, re-purposed into walks and walls. The terrain tamed into usable terraces. In 2003, the La Huerta Historic Gardens project officially kicked off.  Jerry Sortomme,  Professor Emeritus of Environmental Horticulture at Santa Barbara City College was named La Huerta Manager.

Bananas and Citrus 

Citrus were grow from seed

Artichoke allowed to set seed shows its thistle ethnicity

Not all produce was consumed.  A portion must be saved to parent future crops. 

 Dr. Ein Sheimer in Israel

 Apples are not a crop associated with low-chill California coastal communities, but the Anna Apple, developed by Dr. Ein Sheimer in Israel, thrives at La Huerta.

The use of spare Spanish roof tiles to mark plant names is a practical take-away  from the garden.

Not just for plants which are showing,

But for dormant plants. Or to hold a spot in the garden. Here, the common name of seasonal aster marks the spot of what will follow is written in English

On the tile reverse, the Latin designation is neatly printed.

*Note -  When turning tiles over, be careful of what might be hiding underneath. Spiders like dark spaces.

Image of Erigon 'Sea Breeze' by San Marcos Growers

( l-r) Betsy Green compares notes with Nan Sterman  

We were honored to have Betsy J Green, a well-regarded local  history and garden writer who volunteers at La Huerta. She joined Jerry to assure the dozen and a half gardener communicators that our bushels of questions would be addressed as quick as we could think of them- or e-mail later. 

Archaeological sites are treated far differently than back when I was a child. In the 1960's, it was no big deal to take souvenir gleanings. At that time,  a construction worker at Santa Barbara City College took part of this assemblage home. It moved with him to another state. And back. Realizing, a couple decades later, that the fashioned rock was best kept in public hands, he returned the item to the professor. 

The rock was stored at the Environmental Horticulture Department for years. 

OMSB Director Tina Foss determined the rock was  Chumash era- or earlier- it

was approved for viewing at Old Mission Santa Barbara. It became part of a history-scape presentation. Which is like old school dioramas- only way cooler. These displays are life-sized, contain authentic material and you can walk right up.

Likely, the rock was used to grind acorns and native grains- corn came to this part of the world after a pestle ground the rock's concave indentation. What was the stump used for is not known, but certainly sparks conjecture. The state of our sense of wonder was now reborn. 

When the Professor asked the premier begonia expert of the time, Rudy Ziezenhenne if any American indigenous begonias were used in Alta California missions, he was presented with the species 'Blood of Christ' or in Spanish 'Sangre de Cristo'.

The common name denotes the resemblance of unopened red flowers to drops of blood. The symbolism of stems gathered in church vases needs not explanation. 

Until we meet again, Thank YOU for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.


La Huerta is located in a restricted zone. Tours are limited and by advance registration only. Please link to the contact page.

Friday Philosophy- Harvesting Blessings

Never tire of doing what is good; you will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. - Gal.6:9


Diamond Bar High School Orchestra

 Starry, Starry, Night" was the title for the 7th annual holiday gala by the Diamond Bar Community Foundation. Carrying the baton of community goodwill long now that the Diamond Bar Improvement Association is defunct, once a year the foundation honors someone who exemplifies that verse. In style.

If only the voice of the instruments was heard, no one would know that they were listening to a suburban high school. Their Pachabel Canon in D Major brought tears to my eyes.


Carolyn on the dance floor with lucky date

 This year's honoree, Carolyn Anderson of Waste Management is one of those people who lights up the room when she walks in. In the decade-plus I have known Carolyn, I have never once heard her complain. Her modus operandi is to ask if there is a problem and then get to solving. Always with a smile.

No concern is too small for Carolyn if it helps her company's clients. Can't remember what holidays the trash pick up is delayed? It was Carolyn's suggestion to the company to send a friendly reminder phone call.

DB Friends of the Library President Rick Rodgers salivated over the meal. Running into him the next morning while he moved to one of his myriad of charitable functions, Rick mentioned the dinner was good a meal as he's ever been served at a banquet. Parties by Panache deserves the credit.

Attention to color and detail like sprinkling of parsley set Panache meals above typical catering presentation.  

 Drum Roll- Some of the guests that evening -

Dave Roberto with wife and DBCF President and Chair of Event Jody

Treasurer Jolene Zirbes with daughter Joanna




Gene and Helen Doss

Trisha and John Bowler go together like cuffs and cuff links



Bridget del Rio Cortez (American Cancer Society) and friends take break from DJ Paul Ullrich's danceable tunes: Sinatra through Santana.

Gerry and I

 I would like to thank our hosts for the event, Matt Rezvani (BP Petroleum) and wife Debbi, for an extraordinary start to the holiday season. Without your kindness, I would never have learned that it is easier to dance in a cast than walk):- Knowing you, being allowed to be a part of your lives, is an on-going blessing.

Image of Gerry and I courtesy of Laura Kobzeff

Chick Flick Night

In high school, the quad at lunch was where we met our girlfriends. We were cheap to feed because we lived on a perpetual "diet". If we skipped the beverage: stuck to water, we could save the quarter from the lunch allowance. 

Then came married with children. A time when neighbor ladies came over to nibble on danish with coffee- gossip about the charmingly annoying similarities of our spouses.  

In 2010: there is the email group. More personal than Facebook or other social network sites, we trust our schedules with thoughts with each other. Real Life, but not necessarily in real time.

We don't get up at the same time or have the same schedules. We don't live in the same state, let alone city. But as friends, we know each other's likes and dislikes from the chit chat. If anyone goes "missing"- we pick up the phone to find out what we can do to help. 

Earlier in the week, I reported in on a delightful Judi Dench movie, "Mrs. Henderson Presents".  Trisha asked where to find it. Still catalogued on our DVR. Chick Flick night was born.

One of the privileges of being married is not having to read instructions. Here, the "girls" - we are all well past the age where that term is deemed pejorative- are raising our glasses of the bubbly to Gerry- who is effortlessly competent when it comes to remotes related to  our entertainment center.


More on our evening next post. Nothing fancy: but prepare to drool.

Blessings

Summitridge Park at dusk. The cares of the day sink behind the hills 0n the horizon. It is easy to contemplate the Glory of God, to count my blessings here.

To a family without a home, darkness falling is not so full of comfort.

I would like you to do yourself a favor. Click over to Inland Temporary Homes (ITH) http://www.ithomes.org/.

While national statistics show the average rate at which homeless families are able to transition successfully from shelter to permanent housing at a rate of 50-60%, ITH’s success rate consistently hovers at a near perfect 95%.

I would like to thank Gene Sasse for reminding me that we all have something to give. Even with the general state of journalism, a writer can write even when she has to guard her checkbook to stretch the balance between billable hours.

I'm not going to give you the exact place on the website Gene went live with for them earlier today to read how to give some time and get a free day at Disneyland. I want you to click through the site. Discover the instructions while you search through the Internet corridors where the tale is written. To find the secrets behind ITH's success in diverting families off the path that leads to being homeless.

There is nothing I could have been paid to do which would have brought the satisfaction of writing the text for their new web site. These sentences were a joy to write for CEO Leanne Drieberg and her crew

"Success isn’t something found at the end of a path. It is found along the journey. Every day. We succeed because our program teaches our clients to create their own opportunities with honor. To do what is expected for a more successful life."

Photo of mother with child by Gene Sasse. Used with permission.

Heartfelt Acts

Friendship is the best gift.

Living in the Internet age means is that friends who move away are just a click away.

My friend Becky Neil, now lives in the (frozen) banana belt of Montana. I love her because ever since we met when I was eighteen, she worries about me and wants the best for me. Like my own personal guardian angel, the unseen Becky hovers through the keyboard- always nudging me towards what is Godly and important. She got me hooked on the Harvest Daily Devotionals by Greg Laurie.

I like them all, but the one titled "Heartfelt Acts" published on December first is very special this year when the Christmas Spirit is tame in homes across America. The lesson opens with how the Bible does not spend allot of time on the historic events of the Roman Empire. The text instead is thick with what is truly great. About people. Relationships. Home. About not fretting over when we have fallen. Give mistakes to God- He gives us the forgiveness we need to get back up.
What Pastor Laurie taught in the story of the woman who bathed Jesus' feet was that "...it wasn't the gift that mattered. It was her heart behind the gift."

When you put out the Christmas decorations, you don't think about what you spent on those that are now traditions. You think about the memories they trigger.

Every year a small rosemary topiary tree is decorated in our kitchen. It is covered with gingerbread ornaments, candy and a ribbon which ties an ornament which came on a package many years ago. The corn husk doll has been with us since we were first married. The oils in the tree scent that corner of our home. The aroma transports me to family feasts of Christmas past. I see our my son, Trevor, carving the turkey with a surgeon's precision. I imagine Kenny, a growing child, playing fetch with the dogs. I remember my nieces and nephews stopping by on their way to see their grandmother- their eyes wide-open when handed their own presents. It didn't cost my family anything to give me these memories. All they had to do was show up and be themselves.

In 1998 I was founding President of the Diamond Bar Republican Women Federated (DBRWF). Whatever it has achieved politically- policy is important- it is the friendships with a group of giving people filled with passion for common sense that keeps me coming back long after I left political life.

Jody Roberto (right) is special to me because she is the one who talked me into giving the invocations for the DBRWF It's been a privilege that brings me joy.

Outgoing President Jody, is holding up the sweatshirt custom crafted into the cutest sweater given to her as a token of appreciation for two years of leadership as President. The board arranged for the Americana inspired design to be done by Kathy Delgado.

Senator Robert S. Huff (aka Bob) rushed Between Sacramento and Washington D.C. to be back home to swear in the incoming board.

(L-R) Barbara Carrera. Jody Roberto, Trisha Bowler, Jolene Zirbes and Patty Anis.

Holding their certificates are Diamond Bar Mayor Pro Tem Carol Herrera and Edda Gahm. I love Carol because when I have a question she points me efficiently to good sources. The Pop Warner Cheerleaders were having difficulty this month finding sponsors for a trip. I sent a note to her- she wrote back with suggestions- I hear the fundraising goals were quickly met.

Edda is the trusted keeper of my secrets.

(L) Jolene Zirbes is a bank Vice President. When her late husband hired me as Editor of the community newspaper, The Windmill, I instituted the editor's column. Her reaction to that column still means the world to me.

(R) Patty Anis is the "quiet one". One of the most dependable people I have ever met. On Saint Patrick's Day I always raise a toast to our Saint Patty.

(L) Barbara Carrera- Incoming President- is eternally 21. One of the most evenly pleasant people I have ever known.
(C) Trisha Bowler- her name can be found in the dictionary under "loyalty".

(R) Jolene Zirbes

(L) Bob Huff- see the Senator's face light up- it does that whenever his wife, Mei-Mei, enters the room.

Shown with Barbara Carrera and Trisha Bowler- aka "Big Red".

There are many others attending that night. Too many to mention here. Some who are camera shy.

I used to wish there was money to buy you all presents for what you do. I wished I had time to make you all something special. But money and time are not commodities I am rich in.

But what I have- words and thoughts of good wishes- I give you freely. God Bless You, everyone.

Greg Laurie's Devotion " A Heartfelt Act" can be linked to directly at http://www.harvest.org/devotional/archive/devotion.html?date=2008-12-01

Kathy Delgado who turns sweatshirts into wearable art can be reached at 909-396-7181

A Remarkable Woman

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can. -- John Wesley, "Letters of John Wesley
Meet Gracie Sorbello. Barefoot and on a unicycle, she rode just under 4,000 miles, from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, to Long Beach, Washington. In the summer of 2006, she cycled through blistering heat and torrential rain. She pushed past pain and exhaustion, raising awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). You see, her uncle has a plasma cell cancer: Multiple Myeloma.

Sponsored by Coker Tire Co. (the company that makes the big-wheeled unicycle she rode), Gracie used the trip to raise almost $12,000 for LLS. The money has been used by LLS to help fund research and medical treatments to improve the lives of people battling blood cancers.
Of her journey, Gracie says, “Doing it for a worthwhile cause definitely helped me get through countless miserable times of pain and cantankerousness on my trip - I knew that I had a bigger reason to keep going, and even if I was in pain at times, I was riding in honor of those who experienced far worse pain on a daily basis.”
“The number of people who are affected by cancer, directly or indirectly, continues to grow and makes me so glad that I was able to do something to help the situation and give people hope. I feel blessed to have been able to do that trip.”
“I rode alone for the first couple of weeks through North Carolina, then my mom rode alongside me on a bicycle from Asheville, NC, to Memphis, TN. A good friend of mine rode a bike with me from Memphis to Pueblo, CO, then my dad took over for the last leg of the trip from Pueblo to the Pacific Ocean.”
Now you can learn more about this remarkable woman, her journey and find out how you can help her raise funds for the organization which is helping to find medical miracles by logging on to her website at http://onewheelforlife.blogspot.com/
Thank you to photographer Ilana Panich-Linsman, whose sharing the photograph of Gracie running through the rain provided the opportunity to share this story. The remainders of the photographs in this entry are from Gracie’s personal file.

On the Importance of Travel

Traveling is important- not only does traveling alone make you confront realities of life but it also forces you to learn to relate to other people. - Dennis Prager










Travel expands the mind. It is interactive. It takes us away from our safe environment of everyday.
My daughter-in-law, Leslie Butler Plunk, loves to combine community service with her travel. As a high school student in Fullerton, then as a college student at Azusa Pacific University, then a dental student and now DDS working on her pediatric specialty at Loma Linda University, Leslie has always enjoyed taking health supplies to disadvantaged corners of the world. This year, her mom, the incomparable Lisa Butler of Fullerton, got to join her daughter on a medical mission trip to Ecuador. Before coming home, they took a couple days of R&R on Galapagos.
Imagine the shared adventure of snorkeling among the giant turtles.
And get a load of the bird's feet. The birds- blue footed boobies- look like sea gulls who grew blue flippers.

Part of Leslie's wisdom is that she doesn't rush through life. She stops to enjoy what a wonderful world the Lord has created. Whenever you have a chance to combine pleasure with business- do it. You will never regret the memories.

Volunteering to Vote

Ask a man which way he is going to vote, and he will probably tell you. Ask him, however, why, and vagueness is all.
- Andrew Lack

Today is election day in California. The news is focusing on the turnout. We will have turned a good corner when the focus is on the quality of thought behind the turnout.

I cannot speak what motivates other people to vote. I can only speak for myself. Voting is my expression of hope for the future of this nation. Voting is a voluntary way of remembering to thank the generations of service men and women who have served this nation. Voting honors especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice- If we have done our homework.

I believe that our individual votes makes a collective difference.

Voting neither stops nor starts on election day. It starts way ahead of time, seeking clues beyond the sales brochures distributed as political mailers and voting guides. And it doesn't end when the results are in. Your vote ends when you are able to see the consequences. If you vote with that seriousness, then the likelihood is that every vote you cast in your lifetime will be better informed.

I don't don't punch every bubble. I only vote if I believe I understand the likely consequences.

In voting I play the odds, assume it is a risk, to be made as reasonable as possible.

I believe it is in the public good for citizens of this nation to have preferential treatment for services the government provides.

I believe the government should help with those things individuals cannot do on our own, and then get out of the way in everything else. We have to live on a budget: the government should too, out of respect for the hard work of those who fund it.


I believe the most important unit of society is the traditional family.

This state, California, is in real financial trouble. Good intentions are getting in the way of being able to invest in infrastructure. Not just in transportation, but in water.

I believe people who disagree with my political philosophy deserve respect. So in looking at candidates and issues, I really look for the non-quantifiable quality of being able to have productive conversations with people about positions on which there is controversy.

Thank you to Gloria Whitley of Washington State for the use of the darling picture of her 8 month old Sheltie 'Jackie'.

CAT Scans and Puppy Paws

The caller ID said it was our son. Should be him calling to wish his father a happy birthday. But on the other end of the line was a voice we didn’t recognize. The ambulance siren could be heard in the background.
Our oldest child had collapsed playing golf. He was conscious now. We had the name of the hospital. We got directions and started a list of Thank yous to God.
Thank God he was on a golf course and not driving. Thank God he had his cell phone in the cart. Thank God it wasn’t locked so the men he was with could scroll through 300 numbers and find one named “Dad”. Thank God his wife was reachable. She was concerned, but didn’t panic. Thank God for our sister-in-law who picked up the phone. She lives closer to where our son was. Of course she would meet our son’s wife at the hospital. None of us said it out loud- but just in case.
Thank God the traffic was light on a get-away Friday. Pulling into the hospital parking lot two hours after we were notified that our child was having a medical emergency , we prayed that at the end of the day, all our thoughts sent to heaven remain proclamations of Thank God.
Good color. Alert. He looked pretty good when we turned the corner to where he was now surrounded by loved ones waiting for test results. The nurse told us that the CAT scan results would be back soon. I asked if there would be a puppy scan to follow. Aren’t you glad with this sense of humor that I’m not your mother?
In were wheeled two of the CUTEST Pomeranian puppies. They were wearing their hospital uniforms- vests that designate them has having successfully passed rigorous training through Animal Samaritans. They work as Therapy Dogs. The volunteer taking them on rounds was Martha Smilie. She explained that the hospital can be a stressful place, but people will often relax around the dogs. I sure did.

To learn more about the SPCA 501 (C) (3) organization dedicated to using the goodness of the bond between animals and people, please log onto



http://www.animalsamaritans.org/index.php
Our son is doing well. The big lesson of the day turned out to be to drink lots of water before spending the day out in the sun. Dehydration is not just dangerous. Sometimes it is quick.

Open Lots of Books and Lots of Bottles

How did Elizabeth Schweitzer get to be one of only 8 women master wine sommeliers in the world? "I open a lot of books and a lot of bottles."
The Diamond Bar Friends of the Library holds an annual charity wine tasting for the local branch of the Los Angeles County Library. If you don’t know Diamond Bar, this is a small city in Los Angeles County where the citizens take on the political process with gusto. Things can get so heated around here, that in a former life as a planning commissioner, a bystander asked if I wore a flak jacket to the legislative meetings. What is wonderful about this annual wine tasting is that by breaking bread and discovering new wines together, wounds are healed and friendships forged.
Right before the event, the volunteers are treated to a class (with lots of delicious samples courtesy of the major sponsor of the event The New World International Wine Competition) at Dacor, the high end kitchen appliance manufacturer whose impressive showroom is just around the corner from City Hall.
Dacor is one of the fine companies rewarded for actualizing its company value statement.



Elizabeth Schweitzer led this year’s class. Her enthusiasm for wine spills over. With joie de vivre, the former chanteuse recommended we should all slow down to really enjoy wine. See it. Smell it. Taste it.
Hold the glass up to the light. See the color. There are as many colors of white wine as there are shades of blond. Notice the clarity.
To appreciate the full character of the wine, she recommended taking "little puppy breaths" to catch the initial scent before the first taste. Then swirl the wine around in the glass like you see the host at restaurants do when they want to impress their guests. Draw in a deep breath. Taste again. Compare the first impression to the second. The two sips will not be the same. You will have experienced the range of taste in a single glass.
Notice how the wine feels in the mouth. Some wines are light and thin. Some boast a fuller, heavier texture.
All of these little rituals will cause you to really think about what food will go with the particular wine.
A lot of people spend an extraordinary amount of time throughout the year to make the event special. These are just a few. Tony Torng works with local restaurants to make sure there is plenty of food to sample between sips. Nancy Lyons gathers up items to auction. Rick Rodgers is in charge of marketing.

Robert Block is in charge of finding and training the wine pourers. He makes sure that the pourers have Rick Rodger’s fine notes about wine and serving and arranges for a new class each year so that we are helpful to the event’s patrons. He does his best to assign us to wines we like on the most convenient shift for our schedule.
There are others who deserve acknowledgement, but we will save that for later, so they can be properly thanked.
Equipped with a little knowledge from the class, I enjoyed this year’s tasting more than ever.
Here are my notes from the event, which I shared with a friend right after the event.

Knapp Fingerlakes Chardonnay. New York. A nicely sippable wine that would be great conversation starter served with white cheeses spread on light, crisp crackers.
Stephen and Walker had a nice 2003 Pinot Noir. Dry. Just warm enough on the back of the throat to leave a nice "goodbye". Would serve with lighter Italian fare. Maybe a spaghetti with fresh sauce or spinach-ricotta dumplings with sage in a light sauce with shaved Parmesan like at Cafe` Firenze in Moorpark. Bedria at the deli at the Aljibani Halal Market in Diamond Bar, makes an Egyptian lasagna on Fridays- white sauce with no cheese, very lean ground beef- much lighter than most Italian versions- which would also be a wonderful pairing.


And White Springs Springhouse White. New York Proprietary. A lightly sweet wine that would be absolutely gorgeous served with peaches on the patio in summertime. The patrons were lined up for this one until there was no more.
Funniest moment of the night was when I couldn't get opener to work on cork. Probably because it was a screw cap.
But the best was last. I had taken a left-over bottle of South Dakota's finest next-door for Chuck and Sandra to try. Walking home, Lorraine from across the street is bringing me cupcakes- so she and her husband got the rest of the bottle. I suspect there are not many neighborhoods where the residents are running door to door with samplings of food and wine just because. This is one GREAT place to live.

For more information on classes taught by Elizabeth Schweitzer, please write to her at elizwine@hotmail.com. But beware, be prepared to be delighted, enlightened and entertained.

Copywrite 2008 Lydia Plunk

The Last Request of Gerry Del Rio Cortes

“ … even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. “ wrote the Greek tragedian Aeschylus.

“It’s almost that time” was the title of a joint e-mail sent by Bridget & Gerry Del Rio Cortes on Saturday, April 12th. On the afternoon of Sunday, April 13th, Gerry left this life, leaving his wife, their families and friends to cope with the loss of someone so good and so young.

Gerry was 44 when he entered the kingdom of heaven. He and his wife, if this life were fair, should have spent the last two years looking to raise a family. But Gerry was stricken with cancer. So they looked for hospitals instead.

I met the couple when we were all volunteers for the Diamond Bar Relay for Life. Bridget put her heart and soul into the event and the organization. To anyone who would listen, she spoke glowingly of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and all they did to help them live despite Gerry’s grave illness. When a position came open, ACS gladly hired Bridget.

In this last letter, Bridget and Gerry wrote together they acknowledged the tragedy that had overtaken them. And while they still hoped for a miracle to spend more time together in this life, in their request for prayers they asked not for healing, but for relief of pain. For his body and for her heart.

In this letter the couple made a joint statement that I believe they would both want shared. This is the last request they made together as husband and wife.

“Lastly, we would like to ask a favor of you. Please take some time out of your life to battle cancer by participating in a Relay For Life event either in your city or ours. It is one day out of your life to fight back against cancer. Visit http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/ to find one near you. All of the funds raised go to the American Cancer Society to help with their research, education, advocacy, and service. Gerry and I have used their FREE services these last two years ranging from talking to a live trained person who gave us information at 2:00 am to getting 4 nights free in a hotel in San Francisco during his chemo treatments. So can other cancer patients and their families. To find out more call 1(800) ACS-2345 or go to http//www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp"

For anyone interested in helping the Diamond Bar Relay for Life, this event has a specific site at
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeCaliforniaDivision?fr_id=4314&pg=entry.

Until we meet again, rest in peace, dear Gerry.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Fan