means a lot

MEANS A LOT
sometimes things we do just means a lot
to us personally
or
to someone we love

this is the #joe nash team that walked this weekend at
the little rock walk to end alzheimers
these 26 people walked all for the same reason
to help raise awareness of this terrible disease and
to raise funds for the alzheimers association as they use
the monies to educate do research and provide services
for families and patients and medical providers
money well spent i think


who are these people
first most of these people drove 140 miles the night before
or that morning to be there for the walk
most were friends or relatives of joe nash
they knew what it meant to his wife and two daughters to have
all those people there in support of this cause

there was his wife who was a caregiver for several years
and who might be a model caregiver for others who have
to struggle with this role
this team and this walk was probably the most important to her
and of course her two daughters

his two daughters and his three grand kids
the youngest daughter was the team captain that helped
organize all this
those grand kids do you wonder what they were thinking
and what they really feel and what questions they must have

one thing this walk did which i liked was they had all the kids
that were there to come down front and the alzheimers association
talked about how they were affected and how all this effort was
really for them
the cure and treatment will be there for them
thank goodness

my wife she and i drove close to 500 miles to get there
we would have been there if it had been 1000 miles
it meant a lot to me to be there
because i know how important all this is for families
and for me personally

another friend came from north carolina to walk with us
her grandmother died early in life with alzheimers disease
these things stick in your memory
these walks mean a lot to us

there was my classmate friend who i  actually had not seen in
30+ years and who made us that alzheimers quilt for our silent
auction

this walk helps some with closure and helps with the pain
with this disease
the deep pain that it inflicts on those families affected

yes my friend gregs wife was there
she herself a caregiver for several years as he went down hill
with huntington disease
she understood the caregiver role and the pain involved with
this disease which is another terrible disease without a cure

this walk site and this walk may have been the best of the
four walks we have done this year

it was at the beautiful riverfront park using the beautiful

riverfest amphitheater as its staging area
the walk was along the river and past the clinton library

there was the memory flowers which we picked and wrote
our family names on them-joe nell charles
and walked with them in our hands
letting the breeze off the river spin the wheels
im sure yes i know that joe was there for sure

yes these walks mean a lot
as im sure the walks for other diseases do for those affected
in some way
but
that day it was the purple day
the day for us to remember our family and friends affected
by this terrible disease
and
feel good about being there
knowing each of us made a difference

the organicgreen doctor