Sharing & Caring

Writing..Sharing..Speaking and Connecting...several things I'm extremely passionate about.  If I had to add a fifth, it would be 'Serving'....let's just add that because that is the essence of who I am.

I've enjoyed speaking on behalf of the many organizations we love and who have loved and supported us over these last two years (Faith and Family Church, ASK, Connor's Heroes Foundation, Starlight Foundation, Make A Wish Foundation, Give Kids the World, Children's Miracle Network ,Children's Hospital of Richmond) and the Miss Chesterfield Organization.

I love sharing our story, the goodness of God and the collective beauty of the human spirit.  As a result, I believe it has become a part of my mission and assignment to educate and bring awareness, participation and partnership to Organizations that are making a tremendous difference in the lives of others.

I've had the pleasure of partnering on several occasions over the last year with Children's Miracle Network and Children's Hospital of Richmond to speak with/to their local and national partners in an effort to allow these partners to 'see' and 'hear' the difference they are making.  As a result other avenues and opportunities have been birthed or opened up.  The Foundation contacted me last week to share they are launching a new group starting with #TeamBolton.

an excerpt from that message...

"This spring, we will initiate a new group within our Foundation and we’d like to begin with you. Families with Heart will be a group of involved, passionate and motivated patient families who want to continue to be involved and support our efforts to help CHoR through event participation, story-telling and at times, speaking opportunities"

I was truly humbled to receive this.  Don't ever underestimate the 'Power of One'...how far reaching one voice, one experience, or one decision can make or the impact/imprint it can have.

Ambassador.Champion.Advocate.Spokesperson.Supporter...stay tuned for more!

#TeamBolton Hits the Stage

Today was an awesome day.  After ten months of 'life as we've known it' and not really being able to commit to singing at church, #TeamBolton ministered a special selection today.  Many of you may remember footage that was circulating on Facebook of a young lady running one of the most important races of her life and midway through the race, she trips and falls, but immediately gets up and within the last moment wins the race.  As I watched the strength, will and perseverance of this young runner unfold, I was deeply moved by the song that accompanied the piece. 

I've been on the schedule to do a special selection at church for a few months now.  Quentin and I had planned to do another song, but when I let Quentin listen to this song, we knew we wanted to do it together.  We have only sung together one other time, which was last year for Christmas (I'll post that if I can find it).  God has been so faithful to us. Despite what it looked like, felt like or what the 'forcast' was, God covered us in his love.  There were many times I listened to this song and was reminded of a blog post by Rasheeda Matthews (Better Part of Me) that outlined the magnitude of peace and comfort that can only come from being wrapped in God's love.   It was so awesome to be able to minister this song.

Singing is 'relatively' new in our lives.  I sang in a teen choir once and after singing a solo piece where my nerves were heard in every note, I never sang again.  Well....there was the one time I got talked into singing Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's 'All Cried Out' at my 11th Grade Homecoming Dance.  How that happened I don't know, but peer pressure is a beast.  Thankfully there is no video footage of that.  Quentin sang in choirs throughout his childhood, but it had been twenty plus years since either of us had sang anything outside of the shower or in the car with the radio.  About five years ago the desire to sing was so pressing that I decided to join the Adult Choir at my church.  I'll never forget my first rehearsal.  I stood up, introduced myself and told everyone I don't know what I sing, but I have a desire to do so.  Gradually I became more comfortable with singing, but remember in a choir you are one of many voices, so if you're not that great, the hope is that all the other voices mask yours.  The more I became involved the more I enjoyed and look forward to singing.  Whenever I was asked to do more I always said 'I'll try' and over time I gained the confidence to do a quick part and even a solo or two.  Quentin joined shortly thereafter and it became something we both really loved doing and being a part of. Quentin gets his pretty earnestly, my father-in-love has a beautiful voice and my mother-in-love sings too.  To my knowledge, neither of my parents sang publicly, but they love music and can carry a tune. 

So here we are....Thank you Lord for taking me out of the shower and placing the desire in me to do more.  Thank you Minister Cottman, for recognizing abilities neither of us knew we had and challenging us to do more.  I never imagined myself singing in any place by myself or without 20 other people with me.  We've grown so much.  Thank you Faith and Family Church for always warmly receiving and supporting us.  Thank you to our children, our biggest supporters and cheerleaders.  They sit through our rehearsals times and by the time we actually sing, they know the words, have thrown in some sort of praise dance and lots of hearty claps. Thank you to my Fashion Stylist, Mireya who encouraged me to wear a 'pretty black dress' and who selected the shoes for me to wear and lastly, thank you to our daughter Paris who really wanted to be at church today.   She fell in love with this song the moment she heard it too and asked that I please, please, please have someone record it.

God's love never fails and it reigns forever in our lives, so remember to 'Stay in the Race' (Norman Hutchins), 'Don't Stop Believing' (I'm a big Journey fan) and most importantly know that your 'Best and Brightest Days are Ahead of You' (Pastor Calvin Duncan).  God put a song in our hearts to share. We're not the best singers in the world, but we have a true desire to worship God and to touch the hearts of people through song.  Enjoy Hillsong's 'Forever Reign' ministered by #TeamBolton!

Count Your Blessings

I had the awesome opportunity to speak with a lady I'll call Ms. Caroline.  Ms. Caroline saw the 'Acts of Kindness' piece on Channel 12.  She contacted my church with the desire to get in touch with us.  Over 40 years ago she was diagnosed at age 7, with Aplastic Anemia.  She 'happened' to catch the 'AOK' segment and was instantly reminded of the time in her life where everything changed for her and her family.  She and her family were on vacation when she began to have unexplainable bruising all over her body and she was experiencing external bleeding.  Her family cut their vacation short to get her to the hospital to figure out what was going on.  Her family was told she had Leukemia and they should take her home and make her comfortable because she would likely die within two weeks.  Aplastic Anemia is not a cancer, but it behaves very much like one.  At the time Ms. Caroline and her family lived in New York, but were referred to a hospital in Boston that had experience with Aplastic Anemia.  This hospital disputed her original diagnosis of Leukemia and they proved to be a lifeline for her.  She and her family had to travel to Boston every week.  At that time a new drug, Cortisone (a steroid) was introduced on the market that literally saved her life. 

Week in and week out they traveled to Boston.  There were times her platelets were extremely low and she required blood tranfusions.  At one point her platelets were continuously dropping and there was mention of possibly needing a bone marrow transplant.  Her platelets began to slowly increase and her family never had to consider or endure a bone marrow transplant. Ms. Caroline remembers the isolation, not being allowed to attend school and being tutored at home.  Miraculously within one year of the initial diagnosis she was declared cured.  Initially they were told she would need at least a five year clearance before she would be considered free and clear of Aplastic Anemia.  She returned the following year for a checkup and was released from care and she never had another issue or incident.

It was very refreshing to speak with Ms. Caroline. It was her desire to reach out to be a encouragement and support to us during this time.  She was much to young to to understand the hard facts and logistics of her illness, but she understands as a child how difficult a diagnosis like this is.  She recognizes as parents the toll it takes and how hard it is to watch your child endure this illness.  When she saw the piece on Channel 12 she called her Mom and her mother was able to recount a lot of the details for her.  I began to share the highlights of our journey thus far and it helped her to connect the dots in some of the unexplained areas of her diagnosis. There is so much information that wasn't known or available about Aplastic Anemia back then. 

In most instances, unless its inherited, Aplastic Anemia is considered a idiopathic disease.  Basically the origin of it is unknown. It is believed when you have a series of illnesses/viruses the body is fighting, coupled with medications the body can get confused and begin to fight off all cells even the necessary ones.  Ms. Caroline recounted prior to being diagnosed that she'd had a terrible case of the Mumps.  At that time there were no vaccinations for it, but it made her wonder during the two weeks her body was battling the Mumps if something similar to this had occurred.  My very intelligent and resourceful husband recalls reading about some strain of a virus or bacteria associated with the Mumps that and other infections that is believed to cause Aplastic Anemia.

Ms. Caroline told me how during her isolation she began to take piano lessons.  Something she could do that didn't require much physically or by way of interaction with others.  She said she enjoyed playing and went on to play with worship groups in her church and she still has the small upright piano her parents bought for her back then. Isolation requires creative ways to keep your child connected and having an activity or something they can look forward to other than visits to the clinic each week is helpful.  Mireya loved taking dance, but unfortunately she will not be able to be in such a closed environment with other little ballerinas.  Piano is one of those things I'd love for all of the children to do, but I know at least one of them will play.  I'll have to look into that.   

I am so happy Ms. Caroline reached out to us.  Her story is incredible.  It's awesome to hear some of her accounts as a 7 year old dealing with a life threatening illness. I don't believe anything 'just' happens.  The fact that Cortisone came out the year she was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia is not by happenstance. Our paths have crossed for a reason.  The Lord has allowed me to see that this could have been a very difference scenario for us. An early diagnosis, a donor, technology and medical support in the city we live in, programs, a plan, and a successful outcome are all reasons to continue to have a hope and a praise in our mouth.  God is so faithful.  The odds with such a illness are great.  The statistics of getting to this point also have odds, but God is greater than all of them.  Mireya is our 'miracle'.  Mireya means 'miracle' and we had no idea when we choose her name all that was to come.  To us it was a 'miracle' after so many losses to have her.  Miracle has taken on yet another meaning for us.  We believe wholeheartedly Ms. Caroline has been connected with us to share her story and to be a blessing and encouragement to us.  She has lived beyond the few weeks of life they gave her.  She overcame the odds.  It is a blessing to us to 'see' Gods hand at work and we know that he will do the very same for Mireya and that she will have the opportunity at some point in her life to share her story.

We are thankful for God's continued hand of protection upon Mireya's life and physical condition.  She gets stronger every day.  Her counts are increasing each week.  I look back to just 60 days ago and all I can say is 'Thank You Jesus'.  Don't let a day go by without having an attitude of gratitude, without being grateful and thankful for where you are.  Personally you may not be where you desire to be, BUT it could be worse or you could be faced with a situation where you literally have no control.  God is a healer.  God is a deliverer and through every challenge, obstacle or issue that comes to rob you of your peace, health, sanity and well being, He is with you.  Continue to believe and trust him.  Mireya is a witness.  Mireya's life is a testiment of his goodness and we know without doubt he will continue to see us through.

Hebrews 12:2 We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God. (Gods Word Translation)

Lights, Camera and Love in Action

#TeamBolton has been featured in Mexico Restuarant commericals, Real Simple Magazine and selected for the launch of 'Momtourage' by iVillage. None of those features compare or have the heart and compassion behind the NBC Channel -12 On Your Side 'Act of Kindness' segment.

I shared last week how our friend, Frazelle Hampton nominated us for this reward. We had no idea what the completed piece would entail, but we tuned in at 5pm and watched everything from new laws on concussions, house fire disputes and the plague of ragweed that is affecting so many people right now. At the end of the 'First News' segment we watched our blessing unfold. We are so humbled by the outpouring of love, support and prayers by so many. People we know, many we don't know, but God knows and he has heard our prayers and is working this out on our behalf. Mireya's health is increasing everyday. We've seen more life and spirit in her than we have for months. That in itself is a blessing beyond words. It's incredible to see illness fading and life reemerging. Life is so precious. It's so easy to say those words, but to live them adds depth and a meaning that is indescribable.

Thank you to our families, our friends, our church family, friends of friends who have reached out to be a blessing, who have prayed and stood in this gap for us as we've gone through one of the toughest things we had to endure. In every obstacle, challenge and circumstance God has shown himself mighty and true to his word. Has it been a struggle at times? Absolutely, but he's given us a peace and a hope to keep pressing. I've said this many times before God continues to show us how much he loves us through the love, support and generosity of others. We stand in awe of his goodness and say 'thank you'. No longer feeling undeserving, but knowing that God can do all things and that he will use people to fulfill what needs to be done. We've had to learn to be better 'receivers'. We're humbled and grateful for it all.

If your not in the Central Virginia area, I've included a link to this incredible instance where love, support and community met last week. It was a wonderful surprise and we thank 'Michael & Son Services' for partnering with NBC 12 and their sponsorship of such a wonderful program. Thank you to Sabrina Squire and Matt Boyce (the Producer), you captured and presented this piece beautifully. Family battles major illness & other challenges - NBC12 News, Weather Sports, Traffic, and Programming Guide for Richmond, VA |

A #TeamBolton Facebook page has also been created. 'Like' the page and join the community to remain connected via FB. The donation page has also been a true blessing to us. Thank you to our friends for maintaining this site on our behalf and to those that have been positioned to be a blessing to us through this site. www.gofundme.com/mireyas-miracle.

Love and blessings to you all.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Today I felt better than Gomer Pyle ever did. My husband and I had a meeting this afternoon at our church with someone who wanted to be a blessing to us. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out who or what it would be. I had fixed in my mind that perhaps it was a representative from Costen Floors. Costen Floors was partnering with our church to be a blessing in facilitating getting our floors redone to provide a safer and more feasible environment for Mireya. Those plans have been sidelined for now, due to the potential risk to her health, but in my mind I thought perhaps it was in some way connected to them.

Imagine our surprise as we entered the sanctuary for our meeting and a group of people shouted 'Surprise'. I didn't know what to think. I started to pan the room and saw a unfamiliar face with a camera and as I continued to the right I saw a very familiar face, Ms. Sabrina Squire. I heard 'You've been selected as this week's Act of Kindness recipient'. I have no idea what my face looked like as this is all unfolding, but I was seriously in a state of shock. Our friend, Frazelle Hampton nominated us for this reward. The premise for the 'Act of Kindness' segment is what we've talked about all throughout this journey...being a blessing to someone. Frazelle was given $300 to Pay It Forward to help someone or an organization in need and she chose #TeamBolton. I will admit that once Frazelle started talking it sounded like the teacher on Charlie Brown, 'Venus and Quentin...whomp a whomp a whomp whomp'. I was fading in the moment and overcome with emotion. Everyone knows I'm very easily moved to tears and today was no exception. We were so touched and so honored. There was something about that camera zooming in that caused me to fight within myself to rise above the emotions, because I could have stood there and bawled my eyes out. I had a Oprah moment and thought it would not be cute to have the 'ugly cry' on tv, at least not the full on version. So we'll all prepare for possibly an abbreviated glimpse of what shock, amazement, surprise and gratitude looks like all rolled in one.

My heart was so full. I couldn't stop smiling at the goodness and favor of God. Sabrina and Matt (the Producer) were awesome. I thought it was really cool that they'd spent some time reading the blog to become acquainted with our journey. I think it lended itself to really being able to identify with how special today was for us. We love our family, our church family, and our friends for your continued love, support and prayers. At Faith and Family Church we love on purpose. We understand the importance of standing in the gap when and where there is a need. We know how vital it is not only to be an anchor for one another, but if we need to jump in the boat and row, we realize that 'together' we can accomplish the task at hand and get there faster. What a blessing!!! God answers prayers.

Details are lacking because I really don't know what the final spot will look like, but we had a great time laughing, crying and sharing. I loved watching Sabrina's journalistic flavor skip through the piece and her ability to make us all feel the heart behind this awesome initiative of community and Paying It Forward. I cannot wait to see the segment air next week. Please tune in Tuesday, August 16th at 5:00pm to NBC's Channel 12 - On Your Side and 'Acts of Kindness'.

Romans 12:13 Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality (NIV)