Tara (his daughter) sent me a message that they were planning a fundRAISER to help them cover the costs of his medical expenses that started piling up when he was RUSHED to the hospital during the last Antique Show. PLEASE READ TARA'S BLOG FOR ALL THE INFO.
I didn't hesitate in telling her YES we will HELP. Get us a date. I was in very similar shoes almost 10 years ago when we found out MY Daddy had to have a LIVER TRANSPLANT. We didn't have insurance & sure as heck didn't have anywhere near that kind of money. We had a family meeting and from the moment we realized what had to happen to keep him ALIVE, we put our heads down and went to work. It's a ScaRY place to be....to not know how much time you have to raise the money & just HOW you are going to go about doing something you've never done before...successfully...&in a hurry. BUT....you just do it. Your family needs you & you're gonna give all you've got to get there. During that time we LEARNED a lot: how to go out and cultivate donations, how to organize an event with food, live music, equine events, concessions, & LIVE and silent auctions, how to deal with harsh criticism that blindsides you, how to get a non-profit involved to make donations tax-deductible, how to organize a group of volunteers, how to get press, and make flyers, & how to CONTRIBUTE your talents to accomplish one big goal...and to PRAY...hard. We also learned that there are LOTS & LOTS of really FANTASTIC people SURROUNDING us.
Ever since we got enough money together for Dad to be able to get a CHANCE at a liver transplant - ONCE they made it to his name on the list...I've been thinkin'.... I pondered over what it is about PEOPLE...& COMMUNITY....that come out and support individual causes like this. WHAT makes people (many we didn't know) come out & buy tickets, come in with armfuls of donated auction items, write a check....WHAT makes some of these local businesses GIVE significant sums of money to....just people? Just...common-not your highest paying customer-simple people?
The best answer I've got is LOVE. This DEEP love that we can't even explain ourselves. That LOVE we feel for COMPLETE STRANGERS when tragedy steals away a precious life. The LOVE that makes you STOP & PRAY for those BEAUTIFUL children sitting at St. Jude's FIGHTING the fight of their life. That LOVE...that can help in just THAT way, which is PERFECT & HOLY & GOOD. I think this is an example of what Jeremiah 31:33 talks about: " I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." It's a LOVE that can never be repaid....just added to. It took me a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOng time to wrap my head around that...almost 10 years. I also believe that these events my family & I organized...planted a seed - showing me HOW one auctioneer can RALLY a group of people to come together & GIVE....paint a picture and a way for them to help someone else. You shoulda saw my Uncle Mele gettin' after it back then! I thought he was gonna blow the top off the hall!
I share all this with you because I KNOW how grateful BUD & his family are for ANY support they get. I also know that they will NEVER be able to put into words, the GRATITUDE they feel, nor how IMPORTANT the support of everyone is. We never know when we'll NEED somebody & when we can HELP...& when we feel COMPELLED to help...we should. Royers....without hesitation, donated SEVERAL items for my Dad's benefits...almost a decade ago & let's not mention ALL the donations they've given to all the causes in our small area & for how long. These are GIVERS to our community.
I saw Bud at Pie Haven in Austin one day & we talked about all kinds of things and I started telling him that I really want to pursue my auction career, but............ He cut me off & he said...."Just do it already...I don't know what you're waitin' on...." Well....it probably wasn't even a month later & I quit my good-payin' job & LITERALLY sat in the ENCOURAGING words of others, because it was probably the scariest thing I'd ever done.
My Dad's still here & has been SO blessed to meet his 3 Grandbabies. He's on less medication & anti-rejection drugs than he has been, And I am HERE, having raised money for NUMEROUS causes and organizations, working for myself, creating work for other hard-workin' women, growing MY business & I want to ENCOURAGE you to just do what feels RIGHT to you & help support these GOOD people.
There will be DELICIOUS grub...of course ! GREAT, GREAT Music, T-Shirts to help support the cause & a LIVE & SILENT Auction. Stop by the cafe for tickets or get'm ONLINE at www.royersroundtopcafe.com.
This GOOD TIME starts at 11AM at Henkel Hall in Round Top - SUNDAY, January 25th. Buck UP Baby & Come on out!!! It really does take a village!!
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