I realize that it's been nearly two full months since I last posted. Why the long period of silence? Well I've been working really hard on my facebook page, AF WingMoms. It's really taken off and that's been awesome except for the fact that I haven't been able to post here and whether or not anyone reads this (besides my Mom) I do enjoy writing.
So I'm back in the saddle and I hope you enjoy this edition of Thankful Thursday and oblige me on the fact that the next few Thankful Thursday posts may not actually be on Thursdays.
I had known that Danny Thomas was a part of St. Jude but I really didn't know the whole story. I of course headed right over to the website to find out more info and here's what I found out.
"Danny Thomas and the Founding of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
More than 70 years ago, Danny Thomas, then a struggling young entertainer with a baby on the way, visited a Detroit church and was so moved during the Mass, he placed his last $7 in the collection box. When he realized what he’d done, Danny prayed for a way to pay the looming hospital bills. The next day, he was offered a small part that would pay 10 times the amount he’d given to the church. Danny had experienced the power of prayer.
Two years later, Danny had achieved moderate acting success in Detroit, but he was struggling to take his career to the next level. Once again, he turned to the church. Praying to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, Danny asked the saint to “help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.”
Mr. Thomas' career flourished and he remembered his pledge. In the early 50's he began figuring out how the dream could become a reality. The dream was to create a unique research hospital devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children. More than just a treatment facility, this would be a research center for the children of the world.
I didn't know this but Danny Thomas, was of Lebanese decent and he turned to his fellow Americans of Arabic-speaking heritage. Believing deeply that these Americans should, as a group, thank the United States for the gifts of freedom given their parents, Danny also felt the support of St. Jude would be a noble way of honoring his immigrant forefathers who had come to America.
From a promise of “Help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine” to the fulfillment of his dream, Danny lived to see his little hospital become an international beacon of hope for the catastrophically ill children of the world. The founder of St. Jude and ALSAC died on February 6, 1991, just two days after joining patients, parents and employees to celebrate the hospital’s 29th anniversary. He was laid to rest in a family crypt at the Danny Thomas/ALSAC Pavilion on the grounds of the hospital. On July 12, 2000, his wife, Rose Marie, passed away and now lies with her beloved husband in the hospital’s Memorial Garden. Today, their children, Marlo, Terre and Tony, carry on their parents’ work and remain a driving force in fulfilling their father’s mission. Danny Thomas is gone, but his dream lives on."
My sister-in-law Barbara is the one that recommended that I spotlight St. Jude and when I asked her why she said that her Dad had always supported St. Jude when Danny Thomas became the leading support person. She said that God pull us to places in our hearts to focus on such as Gary (her brother, my brother-in-law) getting leukemia. I've always known that Barbara has been supportive of God's children. She has a real heart for those that fight each day.
Won't you join Barbara and I in supporting St. Jude today? It was very easy to make my $5 donation and you can make a donation by clicking HERE.
Today is a great day to make a difference.
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It's not just Mom that reads. I've got you bookmarked and I check Mon. - Fri. for updates. I knew there would be one eventually.
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