Our Yellow Brick Road

When Dorothy’s house came crashing down, she had no idea where she’d landed.  Nothing was normal – everything was strange.  She began her journey back to normalcy.  Along the way, she met some characters that had a profound impact on her life.  They opened her eyes and broadened her perspective.  They gave her hope.  But for the perfect storm, these encounters would never have occured.  To paraphrase a line from another version of this tale, because she knew them, she has been changed for good.

Simon’s death was our storm.  Like Dorothy, we yearned for familiarity and normalcy, and along our journey to reclaim them, we met some amazing people.  In the past two weeks, a student living with a heart condition and a mother that lost her son to sudden cardiac arrest have reached out us.  They are enduring hardship and adversity.  Despite this, they want to make a difference and help the lives of others.

At the end of the story, Dorothy wakes up in her bed realizing that it was all just a dream.  She has a new appreciation for her family, friends and the world around her.  For us, there is no dream.  It is just life.  However, the support of our friends and family, and the connections with these new and inspiring people, give us a new appreciation for life.  It brings a richness and fulfillment that we may have never known, but for the storm.