Monday, August 11, 2025 – Day 363
Monday, August 11, 2025
Good morning, fans, friends, and family! Welcome to Monday.
Yesterday was a quiet day. Cindy spent much of it in bed fighting what she think might be a cold and doing her best to keep her distance from me. I thought I was coming down with something as well since I was having to manage a runny nose in the morning. Fortunately…it didn’t last past the morning and I only had to deal with a poor night sleep. The last thing I need is a respiratory illness. My cough is so weak now that even a minor bug could turn into a big problem. I think it’s time to roll up my sleeve and get some vaccines before it’s too late—pneumonia, flu, maybe others that make sense. (No COVID shot for me; that one doesn’t agree with me.)
I’m currently reading No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I’ve read my share of WWII books, and this one is right near the top. I didn’t know much about Eleanor Roosevelt, but Goodwin pulls you right into her world during the tense years leading up to the war and now through it. A great recommendation—thanks, Lis!
While we stayed home and kept to ourselves, some of our wonderful neighbors were busy making deliveries to both the front and back porch. Mike and Beth dropped off a little Michigan care package… thank you for the beer! I’ll have to check the rest of the bag because, honestly, once Cindy brought in the beer, I stopped looking. (If there were vegetables and fruit in there, I may have accidentally ignored them.) And Sarah, our neighbor behind us, left fresh produce from her garden—thank you!
I received a few suggestions for my St. Maarten beach dilemma. They all recommended a beach buggy for navigating the sand…which could actually work! My other concern is the house itself. I need to find out how many steps there are inside and outside, just in case I’m fully in a wheelchair by then. If there’s a way to get around the property without turning every trip into an arm and back workout for the family, this trip might be doable after all. Maybe I’m worried for nothing—we’ll see.
On Friday, I heard from Dean—the young man traveling the country raising ALS awareness by interviewing people willing to share their ALS story. Dean’s mom was diagnosed in 2021, just after he graduated middle school, and passed away only seven months later. That’s heartbreakingly fast on top of a disease that’s already cruel.
I met Dean in mid-July when he came to our home and gave Cindy and me the chance to share our ALS story. He’s 19, fresh out of high school, and instead of spending his summer hanging out with friends before college, he’s crossing America solo—meeting people, recording their stories, and raising funds for ALS research. His commitment still amazes me.
Why am I telling you this again? Because on Friday, Dean let me know that his local ABC station in New Jersey had done a feature on him and his family. It’s just over two minutes long, but it beautifully captures their ALS journey, his tribute to his mom, and his drive to make a difference.
Here is the link. You’ll have to watch a short ad before it plays (sorry), but I hope you’ll stick with it—it’s worth every second.
Have a great Monday.
Love you guys!❤️
“Since we didn’t take a photo yesterday, here’s one of the grandkids showing off their style. Wyatt channeling ‘mini fashion mogul’ in a gold chain and white turtleneck, and Coco bringing classic elegance with her string of pearls.”
