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| Photo Credit: Mike Hessong of Victoria, Texas |
I opened my e-mail this morning to get this piece of
daily inspiration from Matthew Kelly: “Consider for a moment all the love you have
ever received. Pause to envision
yourself immersed in all that love at the same time. It is perhaps overwhelming. And still, all that love is nothing compared
to the love of God. Has anyone ever
loved you as Jesus has, does, and will love you?” (Wow. Just Wow.)
I recently had the opportunity to feel an incredible
amount of overwhelming love all in one place for a special lady. It’s hard to
even fathom that such an amazing outpouring of support and love is still just a
tiny taste of the Lord’s love for us.
This past weekend, we attended the “Kicking it for
Candace” Benefit Fundraiser hosted by friends, family, and loved ones to help defray
medical expenses for Candace Smith, who has Dysautonomia.
On the Kicking it for Candace facebook page, it
states:
Candace developed Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 13. Candace’s diagnosis motivated her to pursue a career in nursing, where helping the sick became her passion. She married Jason in 2007 and they were blessed with their precious daughter, Briley, in June of 2009. Candace worked as a Registered Nurse and Wound Care Specialist until her disease progressed to the point at which she was no longer able to work.
Over the past few years, Candace’s health has declined drastically. She has been hospitalized and in the Intensive Care Unit numerous times. She has received many diagnoses including Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, DVT, pulmonary embolism, psoriatic arthritis and orthostatic hypotension, all of which are the result of or fall under the umbrella of Dysautonomia.
Candace has had both a heart ablation and pacemaker
surgery. She is currently an outpatient at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center
in Nashville , which houses the top Dysautonomia Specialist Center
To put it simply, her body is attacking her autonomic
nervous system, joints, and organs, causing multiple issues, resulting in her
inability to work. At the young age of 30, she currently requires
a walker to simply move around her home and uses a wheelchair for any distance
longer than a few feet. She and her
family are continuing to search for answers to increase her quality of life.
Many of her friends and loved ones commented on
facebook after the event:
The Kicking it for Candace Benefit was absolutely unbelievable! I was in tears several times thinking about all those who opened their pocket books and those who worked so hard to organize the event. I am so blessed to have met Candace. She is truly an inspiration.
Kicking it for Candace was a class act! The strength, hope, and faith of Candace and her
example of NEVER giving up shows us how we all should live our lives. We’re so proud of Candace and Jason! God's blessings to all of you!
You guys have AMAZING friends and family, which is a
true testament of the love and support you have obviously shown to others.
We are so blessed to have been a part of such a
special night. Candace is such a
remarkable young lady and is loved by so many.
It truly showed last night.
Thank you for letting me see that being strong; never
giving up; and having faith are still the things that get us through. It was my honor to be a part of your event.
Candace, you have so many people that love you and
your family. You are such a strong,
courageous young lady! Our family is so
blessed to know you.
Through tears of joy, Candace thanked everyone at the
event for being her angels on earth. “I truly appreciate you all for being here,
for donating, for bidding on auction items, and for working so hard to make
this event come together. You are truly
wonderful to our family. There are no
words to express the love and gratitude that I feel. Thank you for being here
for our family and for showing us your love and support. It truly makes this time in our lives
manageable. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
I was blessed to have had the opportunity to give Candace
a hug that evening. Despite all she has been through, her smile
still radiates hope, courage, strength, and tremendous faith. She certainly inspires me, and obviously,
many others as well. For showing us all what
it truly means to trust in God and never give up, we love you to the moon and
back, Candace! Thank you for letting us
be a part of such an amazing event! Our
prayers for you continue…
Speaking of the moon and back….guess who else wanted
to include his faith in Jesus during an unforgettable event? Buzz Aldrin,
the second person to walk on the moon.
In Aldrin's 2009 book, “Magnificent Desolation,”
he shared: “During those first hours on the moon, I
reached into my personal preference kit and pulled out the communion elements,
along with a three-by-five card on which I had written the words of Jesus: ‘I
am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing
without me.’"
“I poured a thimbleful of wine from a sealed plastic
container into a small chalice, and waited for the wine to settle down as it
swirled in the one-sixth Earth gravity of the moon. My comments to the world were: ‘I would like
to request a few moments of silence ... and to invite each person
listening in, wherever and whomever they may be, to pause for a moment and
contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her
own way.’”
“I silently read the Bible passage as I partook of
the wafer and the wine, and offered a private prayer for the task at hand and
the opportunity I had been given. At the
time, I could think of no better way to acknowledge the enormity of
the Apollo 11 experience than by giving thanks to God.”
Isn’t it interesting to think that some of the very first
words spoken on the moon were the very words of Jesus Christ, who Himself made
the earth and the moon? Love it, love it!
To those special people who share just a tiny taste
of God’s love with others by the things you say and do...I love you to the moon and back! Keep it up!
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| Briley, Candace, and Jason Smith |
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