Wish Walking

[caption id="attachment_4125" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Lotta demonstrates how to walk."][/caption]

At the end of August, we volunteered at the Make-A-Wish walk in Milwaukee.  We did the walk 2 years ago with Ellie.  I missed her a great deal this time around.  Which again made me laugh at myself knowing that she would have thoroughly protested going.  And then would've chatted every volunteer up the entire time we were there.  The walk is in a park on Lake Michigan and the weather was unbelievably gorgeous.  If nothing else, it seemed an excellent excuse to be outside enjoying the beauty.  I cheered the walkers on until, like Justin Beiber (see the highly inspirational movie Never Say Never if you do not know what I am talking about), I had to rest my voice in between walkers.  Lotta helped me by waving at the walkers.  Ben helped by waving a flag and cheering for about 10 minutes.  At one point, I stood on a bench and looked and just saw the entire sidewalk filled with walkers for as far as I could see.  Amazing, thinking all these people were working to make wishes come true (later found out there were over 2500 participants).  The Wish kids wear a yellow shirt and I yelled extra hard for them.  I watched as these children were often surrounded by a team.  Their own security guards.  Some of the kids liked the attention, some of the kids shied away from it.

[caption id="attachment_4126" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Ben waves the flag for the walkers. There were over 2,500 of them!! His flag waving did not last that long, however."][/caption]

At the end of the line, I looked for the man we had met 2 years ago, the one who walks with the last walkers in memory of his daughter.  Because Ellie was chatting all the volunteers up (and we were running late), we definitely held that spot.  I didn't see him at first.  Then as the walk was concluding, I spotted him.  I asked him if he recalled walking with us, and he did.  He told me that his other daughter had passed away this year, so he was walking in her honor too.  Of course I was curious what happened, but did not want to pry if he was not up for sharing.  He had a foreign exchange student with him.  We hugged because that was all I felt I had to give him.  WOW!  was about all I could think to say (in my head) to losing two daughters.  I told him how I'd shared his intention to walk every year in his daughter's memory with others and how they were inspired by his actions.

 

[caption id="attachment_4127" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Ben soaks himself after the walk."][/caption]

 

On Sunday, September 25  we will be walking in the first ever Madison Wish Walk.  Since we did not have a community wide funeral, it is our version of a "funeral".  We are hoping to have the biggest team there in honor of Ellie.  Many of her classmates have agreed to walk and Esther's girl scout troop will be with us.  I know it will be an amazing, memorable day, filled with happiness and sadness (sappiness as Ellie would say).  I cannot think of better way to honor Ellie because her wish trip meant so much to all of us and we are excited to be spreading this powerful gift to other children like Ellie.