This is Kerry and her mom Charlayne (at Kerry's wedding in 2012 and at this most recent Easter 2018) -- and there's a very specific reason I'd like to introduce you to these beautiful women.

I recently mentioned that our new "Gratitude" Simple Notebook was designed and produced with the purpose of helping to lighten someone's burden. It is the shade of blue that was my brother Jonathan's favorite color and in a beautiful gold foil finish; we even used Jonathan's handwritten font to spell out one of our team's favorite sentiments ...

Gratitude changes everything.

My brother had colorectal cancer and passed away 5 years ago, and this is one small way that I can honor him. Through this recent sharing on social media, I learned about Kerry who mentioned that her mother has colon cancer. I reached out to Kerry, got to know a bit more about her mom's situation, and well ... one thing led to another and here we are.

We are donating a dollar from every one of these notebooks that are sold, to Charlayne.

As most of us can imagine (or even fully understand first-hand) ... the medical bills have piled high and this burden is on TOP of the physical and emotional pain that Charlayne is dealing with every day. We know that our relatively small donation isn't going to pay all the bills, but every little bit adds up and the fact that you guys are contributing to that through a simple purchase ... THANK YOU! Many of you already have purchased the notebook. At this time, I invite ALL of you to pick up a notebook for yourself + a friend. Pick up a whole bunch of these for a classroom full of kids, a youth group at church, a team of co-workers at the office ... anyone! I always have a stack of notebooks handy to give as gifts. Notebooks always come in handy and this one in particular is graced with a message about gratitude, which truly can change everything.

Let's sell lots more of these notebooks so we can write a big check to Charlayne and lighten her burden even just little. In the meantime, here's a bit more about her, which I gathered from her daughter Kerry, so you can know at least a little something about the woman you're helping.

BECKY: Where do you guys live?

KERRY: My mom lives in Phoenix, Arizona and I live in Glendale, but we're only about 10 minutes away from each other.

NOTE: I totally had no idea that they lived so close to US (!) when I first reached out to Kerry. Obviously we are bound to meet in person someday soon, we hope!

BECKY: What is your mom’s diagnosis?

KERRY: Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

BECKY: Tell me about your mom’s journey with cancer thus far.

KERRY: My mom was first diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2009. She had been feeling really rundown and noticed that her stool was really, really dark. I remember her saying later that she put off going to the doctor for quite awhile even with those symptoms because she was pretty much afraid to hear bad news. I think it's something that so many of us can relate to in regards to our health. Often we feel like no news is good news, but if we're diagnosed with something it suddenly becomes the reality. She eventually went to her doctor and he ended up sending her to the ER where they admitted her and diagnosed her with colon cancer. A few days later she had surgery to remove part of her colon and was back on the mend. That was pretty much the story until last year.

She spent the summer feeling pretty crummy and her doctors began doing testing to try to figure out what was going on. After labs and ultrasounds and CT scans, one of her doctors decided to do a liver biopsy which was when they discovered that the cancer was back and had spread to her liver. She started chemo in October 2017. The first few treatments didn't affect her much, but as the treatments progressed it started to take its toll on her. She was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. I think one of the hardest parts was her not being able to serve others, whether it was her family, friends, or church, like she used to. The spirit was willing but the body was weak and it was a position she was unfamiliar with. She recently just had a short break in chemo and this week they are discussing some alternative methods of treatment since the cancer in her body has shrunk some which has opened up some new possibilities. She has an MRI tomorrow and we'll meet with her doctors probably next week to discuss those methods further. It's been wonderful to see her regain a little energy and strength during her brief break!

NOTE: A more recent update from Kerry: "My mom found out at her last appointment that with the chemo treatment she's done so far, her tumor has shrunk by half! We are so incredibly grateful for this amazing news."

BECKY: Tell me a bit more about your own perspective, as her daughter.

KERRY: I'm not sure I've fully processed all of the emotions that come with this kind of situation even now. I'm the youngest of 5 kids and my mom was in her late 30s when I was born. There was always a little thought in the back of my mind that I wouldn't have as much time with her as some children have with their parents, but I thought it was still very, very far down the road. I never expected to be 35 and face the possibility of not having my mom around. I remember when she told me the news that the cancer was back and had spread, I immediately starting looking up information on stage 4 colon cancer. The survival rates had me in tears. We were looking at a matter of years left with her. I feel like my mom tried to downplay how concerned she was about it all because she didn't want to scare us and feel like she was burdening her children. It's so emblematic of how she's always put her family first, no matter what.

I had an immediate desire to record every memory of her that I could -- to interview her, to write down every one of her recipes, to make videos of her, to take more pictures of her, to preserve every piece of her that I could. At the same time, I didn't do any of that; it made it feel too real. It's something I still struggle with. My son is 3 and it's heartbreaking to think that my mom won't get to see him grow up or to think that she might be gone before he really can remember her. I think it's tough to know how to preserve memories in these situations, to do it in a way that doesn't make it feel like our time with her is at an end, but to also recognize the urgency in capturing old memories while still making new ones. I've realized that no matter how old we are, we will always need our mothers.

BECKY: On that note, and as it pertains to preserving memories or getting help with ANYthing that has to do with pictures, journaling, life storytelling, memory keeping in general ... what, if any, are your mom's desires? I'd love to see if there's a way we can help.

KERRY: After speaking with her about this I know she is interested in information on preserving photos and memories. Something that she didn't bring up but that I've heard her talk about often over the years is her desire to tell her story. While my grandmother, her mother, was alive, she wrote down her life story and had a bunch of copies printed and bound and gave them to all of her children and grandchildren years ago. My mom often mentioned that she would like to do that but never found the time or knew where to start. I think a task that large was a little overwhelming and I would love to help her find ways to document her story that are more manageable for her, that she could do piece by piece as she felt up to it. She seems pretty open about what to do.

BECKY: Anything else you would like to share?

KERRY: My mom is one of the most selfless women I know. She is devoted to her family and the gospel and is always willing to help out with anything she can. We always tease her that she's the biggest nag, but the reality is she only wanted the best for all of us and let us find our own way in life. After becoming a mother myself, I appreciate her patience and ability to sit back and let us make our own choices (and our own mistakes) and yet always be there to comfort and guide us.

We would love your thoughts!

Doesn't she sound remarkable?? As you can imagine, my wheels are spinning with thoughts and ideas on how we might be able to help guide Kerry and Charlayne in their quest to get many of her memories, stories, and photos preserved. She has a legacy and it should be recorded! I would love to hear some of YOUR ideas so that we can factor that into the brainstorming! Together as a community of memory keepers, let's lend a hand through not only offering some financial assistance but by offering some advice and insights.

Finally ... a handful of pictures that Kerry shared.

Mom with my son

Mom with my brother last Christmas

Mom with my three older sisters. My mom was a single mom raising 3 girls all on her own for years before she met and married my dad, who was a 35 year bachelor at the time!