A Breast Cancer Memorial Fund thru Susan G Komen in Sue's Name

As many of you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I set up a Memorial Fund through Susan G Komen in Sue's name to raise funds for breast cancer research honoring Sue's name & memory! I will post the link below and our goal is to raise $2,000.00 this month!! Thanks for all your donations in the past and I hope this message finds you all doing well despite the economic crisis and health scares!! Have a beautiful fall & I continue to think of all as I remember my sister Sue many times daily and the impact you all had on her life!

http://www.info-komen.org/goto/susanfrangosm

xxoo Kaylee

My dad's note

A Poem of Loss… Just for a moment we held in our hands a gift so precious, so rare. Just for a moment we beheld with our eyes her face so lovely, so fair. Just for a moment her sensitive touch; just for a moment Her lyrical songs; Just for a moment she really was here. With us, where she belongs. Just for a moment we heard with our ears her laughter thrilling the air. The echoes are lingering still; They always will. Now, just for a moment she lives in our hearts cherished with tenderest care. For as long as we live, for as long as we love, she will always be there. I received this poem from a letter called the Lifeline that my daughter kaylees church sends out daily. It touch my heart very deeply and is so beautiful and describes my feelings for my lovely Susan. I hope you find this as beautiful as I have. Best personal regards to all of Sues friends and work partners, I think of you everyday and thank you for all your kindness. Doug

Happy 40th Birthday Susie!

I can not sleep and I lit a candle for Sue at midnight. She would have been 40 today...our big joke always was when she was 40 I would almost be 50 (well I am 46!!) but close enough! We always said we would never be that old, but I never imagined my life without Susie....and it is challenging for sure. She could make you think all was well and everything would be ok and I miss that. Anyway, happy Susie in Heaven!! Just know your big sister got you  your fave bday cake today and that I am eating it in your honor! Love you and miss you forever and ever...Kaylee

Please Share Your Favorite Memory of Sue!!

Greetings- I also thought on this one year, it would be nice to share our favorite memories of Sue!! I am in the process of turning this blog into a book, and thought that would be fun to have in it!! Thanks and I hope all of you who have loved, prayed for and cared about Sue are all doing great. Bless You all. Kaylee

One My Favorite Memories of  Sue:

Susie always liked to play little tricks and jokes on her fave people, and one of her favorite things to do to ME was to send my kids things she knew would freak me out!! The last thing she did was for Alex's birthday, she came across a man selling alligators (dried) and alligator heads, very homedone taxidermy, and she bought a head, wrapped it up and sent it to Alex for his bday, he opened his package excitedly as it was rom Sue and he knew it would be different and special, and it sure WAS!! It stunk, and as he unwrapped a real alligator head, he was sooooo happy, I couldnt believe it!! I was so mad!! HAHAHA, thinking about it now makes me laugh again!! She knew I would be and that Alex would love it so much I would have to let him have the bacteria ridden smelly head!! I miss those surprise packages....

ONE YEAR....

Greetings Everyone..

I am staying up tonite late in honor of Sue;s death one year ago....I have lit a candle in her honor and said a prayer foe her as I do so many times daily since she has passed. I thank you so much for all of your care, thoughts, cards and messages over the course of the last year and now....it has really made a difference to know how special Sue was to YOU!! 

I have learned so much in the last year it is hard to put into words...but I will try!

1. People are your treasure, not your job, home, cool purse etc..

2. This has given me newfound empathy I already thought I had but didnt til understood how the loss of someone significant impacts your life..

3. Thankfulness in the face of great loss.... that is what has sustained me, finding something daily to thank God for!! And I have....

4. Family/Friends.....we all cannot by with the hard times without them, so thank you one and all...

I still miss my little Susie more than ever, I just have grown used to the hole in heart as a result of her passing. I am eternally grateful to everyone for all of your love & support! I pray for blessings for each of you!

xoxo Kaylee

One Year Ago...

One year Ago....on February 22nd, 2008

            We found out Susie had breast cancer, and this blog began.

With hope, with courage to the very end, Susie, my wonderful sister

                                                   went

              to fly on angels wings, and soar amongst the stars

                    to look upon our dear Lord's face and 

                              see those gone before.

                     I know she is watching over all

                   that she loved and held most dear.

                       forever now and ever more

                          in my eyes most clear

                   I will see her shining smile and face

                          and burning in my heart

                  a love that time nor death can tear

                          a sisters love apart.

One year since Sue found out she had cancer, and 8 months since she passed away, and the sense of loss is still profound in a way I cannot describe. I miss and love you Susie, forever and always in my heart.

Love your big sisco, Kaylee

It's Been Six Months...

It's been six months today, since Susie passed away from this Earth to a better more beautiful place called Heaven.

I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying this beautiful holiday season. I decorated Sue's tree we had planted to honor her memory, with a big pine cross with a beautiful red bow and a wreath. I wanted to decorate it like a Christmas tree, but our MN winter this year decided not to co-operate with my original idea, so no ornaments. just the cross and wreath. It is very pretty.

In so many ways it seems like I haven't seen my sister forever and I long to talk to her and see her so badly, yet it seems like yesterday that we had her memorial services...I think all in all we are all doing good, just very sad and lonely.

Sue LOVED CHristmas, I mean really LOVED Christmas, with all the childlike enthusiasm she could possibly muster. Every year we would try to out do each other in finding the best new Christmas cookie...last year I discovered a friends "melting moments" cookie which are AWESOME and gave Sue the recipe, she had to admit they were awesome!! Then she found candy cane cookies and sent me the recipe and they were "good" and we argued back and forth over that! I cried a little this year as I pulled that cookie recipe out in her handwriting, even complet with candy cane stickers she stuck on it...she was so amazing and special. I miss her so many times each and every day.

This blog is really painful to go to for me, at first it was like a comforting friend, that I started to support and communicate about sister, then I had plans of getting it put into book form and giving it to her when she went into remission so she could remember how strong and brave she was and to see how speical she was to so many people who read this daily and left comments and prayed for her....now it is a hollow reminder of the short battle she so valiantly fought against as I work not to remember just the "cancer" piece of her life, but all the much happier and special times we spent together growing up and then as adults. She was my biggest champion, and I hers...there was nothing we couldn't tell one another and I miss that terribly...

I just wanted to come on here tonight to say, I can't believe it has been 6 months, and I miss you Susie, and I am praying for you many times each day and I know one day, we will see each other again and when we do, I am still going to call you "the dipe"!! CHristmas is not the same at all without you, and I want you to know how many many people have contacted me and miss you too....I am so proud of the way you lived your life and cared for so many people and touched so many lives. I am really going to miss the mystery visitors you'd bring to our holiday celebrations. Each with no where to go, but you'd bring them to my house and we would all have such fun.

I love and miss you Susie with all my heart....forever.

May the spirit of Christmas live within each one of you and I wish you a beautiful, blessed Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous 2009.

XOXOXO Kaylee