This week started out quite sad for me. I learned that Dan Fogelberg died.
I have always loved his music and spent a lot of time listening to his songs when I was a teenager. His lyrics really spoke to me, a quiet, lonely girl – kind of an outsider. I had my art and I had the music I listened to and Dan’s music really helped me through those early years. So as I was moping about last week, I received this letter from my wonderful friend Jacquie:
My dear friends, I am writing to you to ask if you would be interested in helping my friend Sheena. I've told most of you about my friend. She is the one I was bringing to the doctor almost a year ago for melanoma. I've also told most of you that the cancer has spread at an alarming rate in the last two months.
We were so hopeful at the beginning of this with the first surgery and the prognosis, even having the doctor tell her that she was cancer free at one point. This past year she bounced back so well that she even fell in love with Brian and they moved in together. Sheena is 38 and is the daughter of my good friend Carole from Seattle whom most of you have met or heard of over the years. Carole was staying with us a few months ago as Sheena went through a second series of surgeries. She is back again now...the doctor has given Sheena 2 weeks to 2 months. Brian stays at her side, an uncommon saint. Carole is living with us and going to Sheena daily to help with the treatments and the devastation of what those bring. They are having old friends come in to say their good-byes before she is too medicated to be able to enjoy them. Sheena has such a fighting spirit and pushes herself to stay alert and active even through the tremendous pain. The cancer is the most painful in her spine at this time.
Carole also can not work while here, obviously so friends have generously lent their car for her daily trek and we are honored to share this time with her in our home. Gas money is appreciated. If you can think of anything or anyone who would love to contribute please pass on the word.
Today we are moving Brian and Sheena into her Grandmother's home. Brian will keep his apartment in Anaheim but will stay with Sheena in Santa Ana Heights with Grandma Haas. Sheena was a waitress and has no savings, Brian is a young man who works hard in construction and as all of us in our younger years were, has no savings...he still goes to work each day, but as the time grows closer he will miss some work I suspect. His family lives back east and are not of means to help, but are supportive of their son and Sheena, even tho their love is young. It seems he comes from a family of saints.
I am asking on their behalf (and they have no idea that I am doing so to this extent) that you send them your prayers and if you are led to, monetary support in these last days, even $10 would be a blessing. The monetary support would go to keeping the apartment open for Brian to return to after her death and to help with the services that will be coming up soon. We are also filling the house with Christmas Spirit, loads of lights and decorations. Grandma Haas is elderly and doesn't do much in that regard anymore.
Please feel free to pass on notes to me and I will pass them on to Mother and Daughter and Brian. Lover and I are privileged beyond words to be able to be a part of this sacred time for them. I know that you all trust us when we say that this is a worthy cause. This is pure love in action and if you have anything, any little thing that you can do or give please please do not hesitate, the time is extremely short. Speaking from our experience of when Lover was in ICU 7 years ago...I tell you that every single little act of love and graciousness that people rained on us at that time still brings us to tears of gratitude, hope and joy.
Our home is open to receiving whatever you would like to drop off for them. We will get them over to Sheena daily. Everyone knows where we live, but if you would like to send something in the mail the address is 126 E. Escalones, San Clemente, Ca. 92672. I should say tho that if you are planning on this please do it soon. She is failing with every day that goes by. And please, please pass on this information. There are so many people out there who are so generous that they are always on the lookout for where they can funnel their love. You all know Lover and I, I promise you from the bottom of my heart, I promise you that this is one of those precious, sacred, holy opportunities to be a part of.
Please, please get back to me if you are interested my email is nannycrone@cox.net. Tell everyone you can and lets flood Sheena with an outpouring of LOVE in her last days.
I promise you that she will be surprised by joy, she will not expect this at all!
The lovely Jacquie
I immediately thought about what I could do to help these lovely friends of Jacquie’s that are so in need of love and some cash at this normally happy time of year. I thought about how I have been lucky lately to make a little extra money by selling my artwork and decided to donate a portion of that money to them. I was thinking about how creativity is a gift and to take the money earned from using this marvelous creative power and transforming it into something really special by giving it to someone that really needs it – what a perfect way to use the creative gift! If any of you reading have also been blessed by the creative gift and have made a little money with it lately, please, if you can, send a check to Jacquie to help Sheena and Carole at this difficult time. I think that even more than the money, the outpouring of love from everyone will be the true gift! Please help if you can. You can send a check to Jacquie that she will cash and give to Carole. Please send it to:
Jacquie DuBois
126 E. Escalones,
San Clemente, Ca. 92672
She also had me do a second design with her trademark Art Nouveau-style bat-girl and the words Bewitched on the back. Crystal will sell these special 
