A Letter from Jenny

Dear Friends,

Wow--this blog auction stuff has been incredible! I had no idea. No idea. And honestly, I've felt a little embarrassed by all the attention. But as a friend of a friend said, an experience like this opens one up to the amazing outpouring of love and to begin to know how much we are loved.

And oh boy, do I feel the love. It fills me, straightens my bending, strengthens my weary bones, and fuels my exhaustion. I feel the support and find purpose outside of my bed.

So a few acknowledgments are in order:

To those who donated for the auction--you are amazing. You demonstrate your skills and talents and the ability to create and make the world beautiful. I love how every item up for bidding was so individual to your abilities, from Dutch oven dinners to quilts to babysitting and math tutoring. I realize that we all have a contribution to make and we all need to rely on each other because individually we can't do it all on our own.

To those who bid--you are generous. Beyond generous. I want to be like you. I want to learn to dig deep and spread what I have to help others. To those of you who outbid each other, you are funny. Stay friends, though, ok? Don't be bitter, be better. To those who won, congrats! I hope your winnings are everything you wanted them to be and I hope you always remember the love and gratitude I have for you. To those who didn't win, again, don't be bitter, be better. Thank you for raising the stakes. You have boosted me in many ways. I love you.

To those who advertised on Facebook and blogs, thank you for spreading the word. I don't know many of the people who participated, but I feel like I found a whole bunch of new friends. Thank you.

To those who donated directly into the Paypal account, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You all are helping me to realize that I can get through this, that I can figure out how to manage it all, and that I will beat cancer.

To Emily who coordinated this all, your quiet service and love and support are incredible and I will always appreciate this. Thank you for sharing your time and hard work.

But most of all, to all of you, far and wide, I have learned something that will stay with me the whole rest of my long life. Marjorie Hinckley once said, "Oh, how we need each other." Thank you for being here for me in this crazy experience. I will be here for you.