Tanner's Light

Welcome to all my readers!! My crew and I, along with the family, friends, & supporters of the Tanner Bayless Family are gearing up & getting ready for the 3rd annual Tanner Bayless Memorial Scholarship Benefit.

As an auctioneer, I call all sorts of auctions & raise money for all kinds of different causes. One thing I've learned in my walk with God is that EVERYTHING has a purpose &, if we make the right choices, we will SHARE in that purpose & SHARE it with others...many times, unintentionally.

I met Tanner's Mom Stacy last year when she called me & asked me to be the auctioneer for last year's benefit. I didn't know Tanner or his Mom & I really didn't know what had happened. When I had a chance to ask Stacy I did &, as a Mom, my heart twisted up & I naturally started wondering if my babies were OKAY, right where they were.

One thing I am CERTAIN none of us will be able to comprehend is TRAGEDY. Why? WHY? Why do sweet young babies have to battle through cancer? Why can the mass disappear & then come back? Why is one kid in a car accident & lives & WHY does another die? Why was she in the house when it exploded because of a gas leak? Why did that horse spook & cause my baby to get hurt so bad? What happened on that tractor...helicopter...motorcyle? We may never know...surely not in this life...

One thing I can tell you about Tanner (even though I never had the pleasure of meeting him) is that HIS LIGHT SHINED SO BRIGHTLY in his time here on Earth. I am almost certain that is what adds to Stacy's light. I had a lady that lost her husband in tragedy tell me: "If it wasn't for this business, I would go in my bedroom, cover my head with a sheet, & just stay there." So what makes a MOM move forward? What makes living OK, when your baby isn't?

Stacy has never told me her answer, BUT I think it would have a little something to do with this. Even though Tanner isn't PHYSICALLY here anymore...all the love & memories & hugs & kisses & smells & hunting stories & fishing stories & football stories.....THEY DON'T GO AWAY. They don't LEAVE this world. KNOW...that God could take them away, if he wanted. Tanner's light SHINES ON through us. We all NEED each other. We help others....strangers...and we don't even know it. WE ALL want to TRANSCEND. We are in the trenches right now & sometimes it is gut-wrenching, but we have to CONTINUE to shine light in the darkness. God-willing we will all be where Tanner is one day, but that sure doesn't make the pain go away.

I read something in a book yesterday that said: "If you don't exercise your muscles, they weaken and atrophy. In the same way, if you don't utilize the abilities and skills God has given you, you will lose them." - Pastor Rick Warren

How does this apply? Tanner's family & friends have the abilities & skills to continue LETTING his light shine. They had a choice...to keep it for themselves OR to share it with others. When you bless people, you will also be blessed...& sometimes those blessings help to COPE with the pain. I PRAY that you are able to come out to this event to WITNESS the STRENGTH, SUPPORT, TENACITY, & LOVE of this group of people.

The money that is raised at this event has provided scholarships to help other young people move towards their goals & dreams. It has also been put right back into the community for NUMEROUS causes & has helped other families of tragedies. Stacy's dream would be able to provide a full-ride to a student one day, be able to work together with other families of tragedy, & continue to contribute to the success of other local causes.

Like I said...Tanner's light is a BRIGHT one. It was AWESOME to see so many young people come out...& not just show up, BUT BID & contribute to the cause. You really don't see that much & just goes to show how his light is still shining in them.

We truly have NO IDEA what the next moment holds, so LOVE your people & love them deep. FORGIVE quickly & do your best. BE READY & EAGER to help the next person, because you might just be in their shoes tomorrow.

BUCK UP BABY! Come out & help Tanner's light SHINE ON!! God Bless!

Heather Schoenst Kaspar
TXL 17037

Antique Fair Adventure: Day 6 of The Wandering Auctioneer

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”  - Colossians 3:23

Guys....I almost didn't do this whole Antique Fair Adventure thing & I SURE didn't know that I would become a wandering auctioneer for a week....

I knew MOST people wouldn't get it & I would be facing a lot of CRITICISM....which I can take.... I just wasn't sure I wanted to. In fact....I know I didn't WANT to, but there reached a point where I knew I HAD to. God wouldn't let me turn this CraZy idea loose. So I prayed for STRENGTH & thanked God everyday that he sent Christie to keep urging me on....b/c I was still half-way crawfishin' out of this on Monday & Tuesday. 

Now I look back.... at how truly BLESSED I am to:

-Have FABULOUS people, (with such different skill sets) that will come out & help me when I call last minute OR CreaTE something that is REALLY more work than what we ordinarily do....but understand WHY I'm doing it.

Words can not express how thankful I am for these people!

Our MOBILE wagon. 

My cashiers - hard at it!

Mobile Clerk/Cashier

Christie & her boys getting the items lined up. 

Melissa - ready wherever she is needed!

Avery showing item up for auction...and a MIGHTY cool one at that. 

-Have met some really wonderful people ALL WEEK LONG...some of which have become life-long friends.

Me & Jennifer Clack @ Junk Prom

-Have been given a gift to truly help people & a platform to show more people from different areas....& not spend thousands of $$$ in advertising to show them.

-Have found a land owner & show organizer that really GOT IT....(my idea) & helped me set it into motion. 

Cheryl from Zapp, Myself, & Bobby with Bobby Boyd Designs

-Have been given the opportunity to silence peoples' doubts. 

- & probably MOST of all: share my ministry to others. I'm not kidding when I say..... WE DID EVERY SINGLE DAY.... and people shared their's. I could almost feel the Holy Spirit moving between us. 

When it was all said & done....all the $$$ tallied - including straight donations.... each event raised over $6000!!

Guy's...we pulled off these 2 auctions in a week's time. If you know anything about auctions....that is tough!  We "made it work" from the word GO. 

The first auction was for Shawna Robinson. We dubbed it a "Wandering Auction" & literally started in a central location....then wandered from vendor tent to vendor tent selling DONATED items from each booth....where ALL the proceeds went to Shawna. Shawna is a vendor at Zapp Hall that had planned on coming to the show, but was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 weeks before. In the middle of our planning - we learned that the Cancer had actually spread & things were going to be a little tougher, before they got easier. BUT LET ME TELL YOU.... those vendors RALLIED behind her. I had the opportunity to get a chance to visit with ALL the vendors there at Zapp. Some of them knew her, some were her BEST FRIENDS, & some had never met her - BUT there isn't one vendor that did not participate. Many said...if that was us, we'd want someone to help. Others said....I have a loved one fighting that battle & I don't care how tough a person is...everyone needs somebody. To KNOW that they'd a been happy with $2000 & we helped raise over $6000 really makes me SO happy that we could help people BLESS EACH OTHER. Shawna is a former NASCAR RACE CAR DRIVER & is no stranger to pressure, but I hope she knows that in her low times.....SHE HAS A CREW....to hold her, love her, support her, & bless her EVERY step of her journey.

The second auction was at Chelsea's Meadow in Round Top. So...I'm sittin' at Los Patrones in Round Top - with my two main auction gals & we are BRAINSTORMING this whole idea & the best way to do things & IF we should do them & IF I was cRazY & Cathy introduces me to Mr. Clack, who then introduces me to his daughter & they have a NEED for what I'm thinking about doing. We meet the next day. We initially talk about a consignment auction...where a piece of it goes to her friend Stephanie....also fighting breast cancer. We mull it over in our minds & I pray about it & I tell her, with the time frame we have to work with in mind, that I think the BEST thing we can do is a DONATION only fundraising auction & have the proceeds go to Stephanie, which should raise more money. So we agree to it, pull the trigger, & get to work. Jennifer was also happy to raise around $2k & we were able to surpass $6k with the entire event. This auction benefited Stephanie Few - who is a childhood friend (since Kindergarten) of Chelsea's Meadow Owners Jennifer Clack & her Dad Larry Clack. Stephanie was diagnosed with breast cancer at 7 months pregnant. They delivered the baby early (happy & healthy) & performed a mastectomy. She has recently started chemo treatments. Her husband was laid off from his job shortly after she was diagnosed. Since then, he was able to find work, but for much less than what he was making. Needless to say....Jennifer talked to Stephanie & knew that new situations arose where she would be in need of funds that they just would not be able to come up with on their own...so this fundraiser is just a HUGE blessing to her. 

Guys...BOTH of these girls we helped were COMPLETE strangers to us...in fact the people we were working with to organize the events were COMPLETE strangers to us, BUT WE DID GOOD. We have now made life-long friends, have started discussing what we can do & how we can do things to help EVEN more people - in more than one way, & really....HELP PEOPLE SHARE THEIR LOVE & USE THEIR NETWORK OF PEOPLE TO LIFT EACH OTHER UP. 

God knows what he is doin' & KNEW that the GOOD that would come out of this was SO MUCH BETTER than any criticism that would be thrown my way. I'm not kidding when I say I feel SPENT. The crew & I  mustered EVERY bit of what we had to do this & I am SO PROUD of them & eternally GRATEFUL. 

Our work here is done...for now. 

BUCK UP BABY!! LET JESUS TAKE THE REINS & JUST GO ALONG FOR THE RIDE! IT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL HANG ON! Stay tuned guys....LOTS more on the horizon!

An special THANK YOU to Hengst Printing in LaGrange for gettin' me set up with almost EVERYTHING - short notice, our parents & friends that helped watch the kiddos, & Susan Hickey& Nelson Muhoberac for the photos!

Heather Kaspar

Buck Up Auctions

TXL 17037

Antique Fair Adventure: Day 3 of the Wandering Auctioneer :)

So yesterday was a busy office day.... LOTS of planning, organizing, designing, communicating, etc.

We got ALL of our SUPER COOL ;) marketing pieces assembled!

I got the ZAPP HALL WANDERING AUCTION flyer finished - for Saturday DAY (11-???).

We talked about MORE items donated to our CHELSEA'S MEADOW AUCTION in Round Top - Saturday NIGHT (Starting @ 5:30). They're havin' pulled pork & chopped beef sandwiches at the concession booth, so come get you some GRUB & BID on some REALLY FaBulouS items!!

Another adventurous day TODAY & the MOST, coolEST, hillbilly hoppin', boot-STOMPIN, GAUDIED-up PARTY you ever did see.......JUNK-O-RAMA PROM!!!

Oh JunK Prom...... BUCK UP BABY!! Come on out to ALL the fun!!