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This year is heavy for so many reasons. The lack of normalcy, or should we say the development of our new normal, tested our strength and resilience in many ways.

We also faced the loss of a loved one suddenly, leaving a realization that each day of the season will be different.

Navigating our current local surge in COVID cases did not make Thanksgiving or planning easy decisions for our family.

We choose to stay home as a family to protect the ones we love. This made it a memorable day as we typically share blessings and many loved ones.

Though quiet and calm, we also have much to be grateful for in our lives. We talked over dinner about 2020 and the many changes it has brought to our family. Change is often our only constant, but change can be promising, too. C

Change can bring us growth in unexpected ways.

We counted our blessings together.

The season of giving is now upon us, and it still brings magic in 2020. This year, we recognize that our gifts are found in connections, relationships, and those we love.

We thank you for continued support and love.

2020…

Grief. Loss. And Isolation.

Somehow, even in 2020, Kelsey’s Kaleidoscope brought us together to laugh and share a moment of love. A moment of silence was dedicated to one of Kelsey’s biggest supporters, who lost her life too soon this year. President, Mary Wagner, offered a touching tribute in Mary Ellen’s honor. Though the virtual event was not the same without Mary Ellen’s laughter filling the Zoom stream, the support for Kelsey and our global efforts must go on.

Hope. Gratitude. And Love.

That is how we felt on Friday evening.

Thank you for the overwhelming support and continued hopeful efforts. We will see you back in 2021 (hopefully live) for our Sixth Annual Comedy for a Cure. Save the Date for November 19, 2021.

2020.

It has been a true rollercoaster of emotion no matter who you are, what you do professionally, or what stage of your life you are facing.

This October, our family finds that our emotional energy is stretched this. Losing our Gran, two close encounters in the ER, and a visit later this evening remind us that health is a true priority and a gift.

COVID19 scares us, isolates us, and connects us all at the same time.

When you try to hold it all together, sometimes it is clear how the true disconnect can somehow combine to be different from what you expected. Yet somehow, all that you need.

Hold your love ones close, be brave, and make today incredible.

Today, we found this beautiful expression Kelsey wrote about her grandmother. What a tribute.

“Gran always told us stories, but now it is my turn to keep hers alive. Some may she is a mom, mother in law, or sister. That is the best part. She can do all those things, but the thing that I think of her as is a grandmother. Gran was an amazing dinner to a sleepover host. And overall, she had the best quizzes. Even though we can’t see her, I know she is in here today. Gran would want us to party for her and she would never want to see the shred of a tear because that is how she would have wanted it. No pain. An although she would have wanted to live longer, she had done all the things she needed to do in this world.

She was the best Gran. She always let us have whatever we wanted and she always had great stories (even though not all of them were true). We all love Gran and sure, we want to see her again. I am going to tell you how I see her… I see her when I look up because she is in all of our minds. You can see her everywhere you go. Yes, I am sad, but I can deal with it when I am surrounded by family. And I do have a lot of good memories with her, and I bet so do you. No matter how far you think she is, you won’t know she is here with you, in your mind, spirit, and in real life. I say this every day in my head because it is the right timing. And, it is a quote from Gran, “You have got to be kidding me.”

One week of misunderstanding.

One week without answers.

One week without a fiber in our lives.

We deny.

We grieve.

We remember.

We realize how precious life truly is…

Be Brave.

Be grateful for the rest of the village that surrounds you and supports you.

Life each day to its fullest.

Call your loved ones.

Give them great hugs.

We will miss you, Gran.

May you rest in peace.

This week, our family has faced the devastation of a loved one moving from full speed ahead to instead lagging several steps behind. We await news, continue to hope, and prepare for the road ahead. With the hope that her seventieth birthday gift can someday be shared with her, noting “Happiness is finding a scratch for every itch,” given a newly found inability to properly reach her back, this one is for you Gran.

In common, we love the same few.

Strength and confidence followed you.

Education and values at our core

Words we adore but our family, much more.

Faux Gran to some, but our Gran new.

To hope, love, and bravery as we walk forward into the unknown…

We thank you for sending strength, love, and support to our home.

Five years after the inaugural gala, our November fundraising event was set to be the best yet. With COVID19 precautions and measures in place, we are going virtual.

Save the Date for a virtual evening of laughter. Further details will follow.

We hope to “see” you there!

Virtual, hybrid, or a combination unknown, good luck this school year. The choice to learn in a remote-only environment has been emotional for our family. In true Kelsey fashion, her spirits are high and her attitude is positive. Her dream and future goal remain the same…

Be Brave. Mask Up. Here’s to a great year for all.

Mask Up! Support Kelsey’s Kaleidoscope, Inc. It’s a win-win!

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