Hold My Hand, Please

I said, "Get up, and let me see you smile
We'll take a walk together
Walk the road awhile" 'Cause

'Cause I've got a hand for you
I've got a hand for you

- Hold My Hand, by Hootie and the Blowfish

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game. It was an evening dedicated to children who are battling some form of cancer. The Hockey Fights Cancer evening brought tears to most of the crowd when the pregame consisted of Blackhawk players on the ice with some cancer stricken kids. The following picture says it all:

For these youngsters it was a night that they will never forget. Here we have some big, strong rugged hockey players holding hands with these precious kids and saying, "I am here for you."
Most of these hockey players do a lot of community work with children, and they will be the first to say they love doing it.

On the scoreboard they showed some interviews of these kids parents as they explained what they are going through. I feel for the parents, because they not only have to be strong, but they have important decisions to make when it comes to their child's life.

I've been thinking a lot lately about life,death,and the decisions people have to make. On Saturday, November 1st Brittany Maynard, the terminally ill patient who chose to take her own life through the Die with Dignity Act, passed away (her story can be read here on my blog from 3 weeks ago).

 What is so ironic is the following day after Brittany chose not to live with hope, Lauren Hill a freshman at Mount St. Joseph who has inoperable brain cancer, fulfilled her dream of playing in a women's college basketball game. She entered at the beginning of the game, shot a basket, then entered at the end of the game to make another basket. Lauren is expected to only live until December, but she has decided to live and has chosen to live with hope.

We all have tough choices to make in life, but then there are some who really have tough decisions to make.

It is important that we all find a way to lend a hand to someone in need, whether it's a person struggling with an incurable disease, or someone just struggling to survive in this crazy world. Especially those of us who are fortunate not to have to make life or death decisions.

As Hootie and Blowfish reminds us, again:

 With a little love, and some tenderness
We'll walk upon the water
We'll rise above this mess
With a little peace, and some harmony
We'll take the world together
We'll take 'em by the hand
'Cause I've got a hand for you