A Great Night To Be A Lancer

It was a great night to be a fan of the Lincolnwood Lancer volleyball team.

After honoring four senior players and their families, the team quickly defeated rival Staunton in just two games.  With a 31-3 record this season, these Lady Lancers have proven to be one of the best teams in school history.

Those Lady Lancers sure do LOVE Grace!  Senior team members presented Grace with a check from this year's Serving for Grace fundraiser.

However, it's their success off the courts that makes their story even more special.

Earlier this year, Lincolnwood volleyball coach Kimberly Denney was one of the very first to reach out to us about honoring Grace at a junior high volleyball game. Kyle's cousins, Kayley and Kensey Armour, were eighth graders on the team, which made it extra special.  The team presented Grace with her very own Lancer gear, as well as some Disney princess presents.  The teams also hosted "Serving for Grace" fundraisers at all their home games to raise money for the INAD study.  Although we didn't get to as many games as we had hoped, it was still such a special season for us.

Grace had fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Galer at the game.

When the high school season started this fall, Coach Denney told Kyle they were planning the Serving for Grace fundraisers again, and we made plans to attend senior night on Oct. 22.

One thing that's been really neat about all the Volley for Grace nights is that Lincolnwood has always been there. They were the opposing team at both Morrisonville and Hillsboro, and have always been there to support us. Kayley and Kensey are now freshmen, so we have enjoyed cheering them on as well.

A special hug from Coach Denney.

Although we are almost always late, we tried to arrive to the senior night game in time to see the Armour  twins take the court in the JV game.  It will be fun to watch them over the next several years.

Then, the three of us were invited to center court between games for a special presentation.  Kyle and I were again wearing our Fight the Fight Volley for Grace shirts, and Grace wore her special Lincolnwood and Hillsboro softball shirt from a game earlier this spring.

The first graders at Farmersville Grade School giving Grace their check.

Coach Denney shared a little bit about the love the Lincolnwood family has for Grace, which started when Kayley and Kensey shared her diagnosis with their team last winter. The coach added that the volleyball team is also a family that shares its ups and downs with other team members, and are glad to see the love Kayley and Kensey have for Grace. She also said the school has a huge heart for Grace's dad, who is a Lincolnwood alumnus, and covers all of the school's sports teams week in and week out.

"So what do you do when you love someone and they are hurting or need help?" Coach Denney asked. "You give them a hug, words of encouragement, and then go to battle to help them."

Meeting the fifth graders from Raymond Grade School.

We are so grateful to our friends at Lincolnwood that continue to fight this fight with us each and every day.  In addition to the Serving for Grace fundraisers throughout the volleyball season, the entire school district hosted a penny wars competition, where the winning class in each school got to present Grace with a check tied to a purple balloon.

Coach Denney said they would continue to raise awareness and funding for INAD research throughout Grace's journey. She added that the penny wars competition also sparked discussions outside school about putting the needs of others ahead of their own.

Grace got a very special hug from Coach Denney's son, Justin.

"In my own home, we had a conversation about the limitations of money because my own son asked how many pennies it would take for Grace to get better," Coach Denney said. "He would have given his entire bank account to make that happen."

Although I usually manage to stay pretty composed during the Grace events, it was that comment that caught a few tears sneak down my cheeks. We have been touched over and over again by this community's generosity and the love they share for Grace. Coach Denney said that empathy for others is one of the greatest gifts Grace has been able to share with her community, and it's something we can all take a lesson in.

Cousins Kayley and Kensey got to present the check from the junior and senior high school.

One by one the classes brought checks to Grace. First is was the senior volleyball players and their Serving for Grace money. Then came the first grade students from Farmersville Grade School. At Raymond Grade School, it was the fifth grade class, including Coach Denney's son, Justin, who gave Grace a big hug after he presented the check.  At the junior high and high school, it was Kayley and Kensey's first hour class that raised the most. I think they made sure they were the ones that got to give the check to Grace.

Kayley and Kensey made sure Grace got a cupcake after the game too!

All in all, we brought home nearly $3,000 for the INAD research study last Thursday night. It's a true gift that will not only help Grace but kids battling INAD now and in the future. With such kind and giving hearts, we know we will find a way to #beatINAD.

MLH

Wearing A Key Around My Heart

I would be the first to admit that I don't often wear much jewelry. And though the pieces that I wear bring a sparkle to my eye, I'm definitely not one for "bling."


Every day, I wear my wedding ring on my left hand and my Gracelet on my right hand, a constant reminder that I keep praying for a miracle for Grace.


Other times, I wear a couple of bracelets on my left hand, a Pandora bracelet with hand-picked charms and a leather bracelet with the serenity prayer, given to me by one of Grace's physical therapists last Christmas.


Some days, I remember earrings, and many have been given to me as special gifts over the years.
But I'm most fond of necklaces. Again, they don't offer a lot of sparkle, but I think they shine.


There's the diamond cross necklace that my godmother, Helen Cox, gave me for Christmas one year, which has always been one of my favorites. And Kyle gave me a heart shaped necklace as a wedding present. I tried to wear both of them every day, but inevitably, the chains get tangled, and it's a mess to get apart.

This is Grace holding my special key necklace.

 So, I usually pick one or the other, and both serve as special reminders of how blessed I am each and every day.


Because I am so blessed, I have been given several necklaces since Grace was diagnosed with INAD last year, each unique in its own way.


The first is actually a Scrabble tile that was re-purposed as a necklace with what's become one of my favorite scripture verses.
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." Proverbs  31:25.
It was given to me by Litchfield teacher Susan Bennett, and whenever I have hard times, I think about Grace's smile and her laugh, and try my best not to worry about what the future holds.
My next gift came in the mail, and everyone knows how much I love mail. It came all the way from Washington state. Former Hillsboro resident Marie Joy had picked up a handmade necklace out west, and the name of the piece was "grace." It's unique style reminds me of just how unique Grace truly is.
One day when I came to work, there was an envelope on my desk with a special note from Kim Noyes. She found a necklace on one of their trips to Branson that said "Believe in Miracles" and she wrote that she thought of me when she saw it. That one's pretty self explanatory.


So, now I rotate necklaces on a more regular basis, but each reminds me of my sweet Grace.
In the past month, I've added a new piece to my collection, which is by far the most unassuming. It's just a key on a chain.


The key has been inscribed with the word "grace," but it's not the key that makes the story so special, it's the story itself.


Kyle was covering sports one night, and I asked a family friend, Betsy Homa, if she was free to go on a walk with Grace and I.  It was a pretty evening, and I was looking for some company.


I've known Betsy for as long as I can remember, after all, she was one of my very first babysitters. She's even been known to fill in a time or two as a babysitter for Grace.


As we started out on our walk, we drifted from topic to topic, talking about her kids, Grace's therapy, the paper, and just about anything you could think of.


Then Betsy told me she had something for me. She said her daughter, Katie, had it made for her after she heard about Grace's diagnosis, and she's been wearing it every day since then.


In a day and age where you can order just about anything you could ever dream of on the internet, this key has a unique story. It was made by a company called The Giving Keys.


Singer and songwriter Caitlin Crosby began wearing an old New York City hotel room key around her neck while she was on tour. She had the idea to start engraving old, used keys with inspirational words. Crosby realized that in a way, we are all like these keys, unique, flawed, scarred and sometimes discarded by others, and she wanted these keys to have their purpose renewed.

 Shortly after, she added a charitable mission to The Giving Keys, when she met Rob and Cera sitting under a tree on Hollywood Boulevard with a sign that read "Ugly, Broke, Hungry." When Crosby found out that Cera made jewelry, she asked the couple to be her business partners. Homeless when they met Crosby, the couple now own their own home in San Diego, where they are employed.

 The company's mission is to help those affected by homelessness by putting them to work. They have partnered with several organizations around the country giving people a second chance at life.
The Giving Keys are now carried in more than 1,200 stores nationwide and available on their website. Old keys have been given new life with inspirational words, and keys may also be personalized.

And while this story is amazing enough, it doesn't stop there. They encourage those who purchase the keys to pay it forward as well.

"Embrace your word, then pay it forward to a person you feel needs the message more than you." The givers are then encouraged to share their story on the company's website.

When Betsy took off her key to give it to me, she told me she had it for awhile, and just hadn't found the right time to pass it along. Our walk that night proved to be the perfect time, and I think we both shared some tears at its meaning.

For now, I wear the key proudly, for Grace, each and every day. One day, I hope to pass it along to her as part of her story, and the impact she makes in so many lives, but most of all mine.
To learn more about The Giving Keys or to share a story, visit www.thegivingkeys.com.

A True Champion For Grace

Just days before she passed away, Alexis shared a quote on her Facebook page, "I don't know how my story will end, but nowhere in my text will it ever read, I gave up." And I can't think of any better words to remember Alexis Ann Wernsing.

Alexis came to see Grace at the Raymond 5K event this summer. She brought a University of Illinois hat for her to wear, and I begrudingly agreed. Alexis could always talk me into almost anything. She and Grace were truly kindred spirits, and we will sure miss that sweet smile.

My first encounters with Alexis were when I returned home to work at the newspaper. The Litchfield Post Office was renovating to become more handicapped accessible, and her dad arranged an interview for me. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated to talk to Alexis at first, but that lasted only a few seconds before she made me feel right at home.

She graced the pages of our newspaper many times as a champion for those of all abilities. Although doctors told her parents she wouldn't live to be a teenager, she celebrated her 40th birthday this year, a graduate student at the University of Illinois.

But it was through my Grace that I really got to know Alexis, not just for her accomplishments, but for her endless kindness and compassion, and her wonderful, loving heart.

Alexis was one of the first to ask for a Gracelet. She wrote mom and asked if she could send her one in Champaign. She was also the very first one to order "A Grace-filled journey" shirt this summer, and I know wore it proudly ever chance she got.

As she began to follow Grace's story and our blog, she was a constant source of encouragement for both Kyle and me. This summer, when Kyle didn't finish the Big Dawg Dare, it was Alexis's comment that touched him the most.

"From 40 years of God-given experience, trust me Kyle Herschelman when I tell you the very best lesson and example you will teach and be for Grace is to know and trust her limitations. Give it your best every day, but stop when your body tells you. The entire community is honored to be a part of your family, without you finishing the Big Dawg Dare."

Alexis has overcome more adversity in her lifetime than any one of us could ever imagine. And she never complained about any of it. She wanted to be challenged in school. She wanted to learn everything she could. And she wanted to make a difference. My friend, you made such a difference in our lives.

She was constantly remembering Grace. Her mom dropped a hockey puck by the office one day that one of the ushers had given her at a Blues game. We put it on Grace's dresser. After we wrote a blog about ladybugs, she found a ladybug bank for Grace (also now sitting on her dresser).

Alexis and Grace were kindred spirits, right down to their love of sweets.  Mom, Grace and I were truly blessed that Alexis and her mom joined us for ice cream this summer. She was getting ready to go back to college, and we loved hearing her excitement and enthusiasm.

That's perhaps why I was so surprised to hear she had passed away. The week before her death, we had run a story in the paper, first published at the University of Illinois about a new project that would amplify her voice. She had contacted me to see if we could run it in the paper here, and was most excited they let us use the photo too. "It's the best picture I think I've ever taken," she wrote.

The following week, she texted me to thank me for running the article.  I told her it was my pleasure and that mom would drop some extra copies by her dad's store.  She told me that unfortunately her journey this year had taken her home for the semester. However, always the optimist, Alexis texted she hoped that meant lunches with Grace at the Ariston and maybe even a chance to watch Frozen together. I thought it sounded like fun.

And just like that she was gone. Not even a chance to say a proper goodbye. But Alexis would probably have been the first to tell me it was all part of God's plan. Many times she shared her favorite verse of scripture on Facebook, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  That's long been a favorite verse of mine as well, and just goes to show that we need to keep our faith where it matters the very most. I may never understand some things in this lifetime, but I know who holds my future. And I'm so grateful that Alexis reminded me of that.

After she passed away, her Facebook wall was full of photos and kind words from friends and family, whose lives she had touched over the years. Alexis wanted to be an art professor and was working toward that goal. Her dad told me that she will indeed still receive her degree from the University of Illinois as she had enough credits to graduate. Although she never actually saw her teaching diploma, Alexis was probably the best teacher any of us will ever meet.

Some of her life lessons to me include always show kindness, never give up, have faith, trust in God and a smile can make anyone's day brighter, even your own.

We were so honored that some of the memorials from her funeral will go to the INAD study in honor of Grace. Alexis reminded me each and every day to always keep going, even when I think it's too hard. For me, it goes back to that quote,"I don't know how my story will end, but nowhere in my text will it ever read, I gave up."

To my dear friend, Alexis, thanks for always reminding me to never give up. I will keep on, for you, for Grace and for all those who need me. You will always be missed. Thanks for being part of our Grace-filled journey. It wouldn't have been the same without you.