Last week was the last time I will do Hands With A Heart for 2009. Hands With A Heart is a non- profit organization I started to pamper the parents of extended stay patients at Arkansas Children's Hospital. The pamper day is kinda like what the American Cancer Society's Look Good... Feel Better program dose for cancer patients.

The reason I started Hands With A Heart is because my older sister had a preemie baby that had to spend alot of time at ACH. I saw how that time took a toll on her as a mother. When you give everything and never recharge they have nothing left to give. When this happens it is harder for them to be the best parent and give the best care they can. Giving the best care to there children is the most important thing.

I have a few friends that help me with services that include manicures, hair cuts, and massages. We all donate our time and products for free. We do not charge for services or accept tips. In fact we try to collect and raise money for family packs. Family packs are what parents that were not expecting to be at Children's use for toiletry items.

There is nothing like a picture to bring back memories of an event in your life. I last posted about an event that supported the fight against domestic abuse. This must be weighing heavy on my mind because the last two events have been to benifit domesticly abused women and children.

Every year my neighborhood dose a tour of home homes for people to see all of the wonderful christmas decorations people put up. People buy tickes and have a wonderful time. The money raised from ticket sales goes to 100% to that choosen charity. This year the Safe Haven House was the chosen charity. Women and children leaving abusive situations can come and live in the house for free. What a wonderful thing for women and there children to have a safe place to come home to especialy at Christmas. This year we raised over $1,700.00. I know this will help many women in children in need this year. Thank you to everyone who came out to support this cause.

I am a cosmetologist so naturally I am a member of the National Cosmetology Association and one of the projects they support is Dinning for a Change. This organization raises money and awareness for domestic abuse. Not only do they raise money for but they also help them look and feel better by providing them with beauty services. So how this works is that you host a dinner party and everyone brings 25 dollars or more to donate to Dinning for a change. Instead of buying each other gifts this year for Christmas smome of my friends and I got together for good food and friendship and donated the money to Dinning for a Change.

O.K. so Thanksgiving is long gone now and we are in the running for Christmas but there is still so much to be thankful for that we should just have Thanksgiving year round. The reason I say this is because my last appearances have made me think that. December the 5 was the Jingle Bell 5k. For those of you who don't know what that is it is a 3.2 mile run for the Arthritis Foundation. So you would think that people who have arthritis would not be out there running and walking to raise money for the foundation but they are are!!! How inspiring! for all of use who do not have health problems to get out there and raise awareness and money for our causes. I hope this make you think twice about raising money for your cause.

I have never ran a 5k before either, but I know you can do it if I can do it in a crown and sash. I also did not finnish last for those of you who are wondering. My time was 30 min. and 47 sec. which I say we can knock off the 47 sec for two shoe tidings. Which is a pretty good time if you ask me for never running a 5K before. I'll leave you with this Our greatest glory is not in never failing... but rising every time we fall.

I have missed a few days with you. Since our last visit I have had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends as I hope all of you have had. Up at the top of my list of of things to be thankful for I am thankful for my health. Our health is something a lot of us take for granted. It is easy to take something you have always had for granted, but what about those people who have had that taken from them or lost is unexpectedly? That is one of the reasons that I volunteer with the American Cancer society. They sponsor a program that has fit with my profession perfectly. This program is call Look Good... Feel Better. It is a free product neutral program that helps women camouflage the affects of cancer treatment. In doing this is it gives them confidence, dignity, and hope to fight the next day. I say Hope is Beautiful. Every women fighting cancer is beautiful. Be thankful for your health and for you ability to hope for another day.