My Reasons.

People are strange, and funny looking too!

Yesterday my Relay for Life team mates and I stood in the road in Lenlock taking up money for The American Cancer Society. Its called a road block, it should have another name having something to do with dodging cars, watching red lights and getting your neck burned. I really cant think of a catchy title to go with that, but I digress. While we were standing in the road, I got to watch many cars go by with a world of different people inside. The cars are interesting too, I should of tried to keep up with all the different kinds, colors and conditions of these vehicles and the people in them for that matter! Everything from Cherry red Corvettes to a perfectly restored very old Mustang. Nasty, beat up trucks, dirty old junkers, something dragging a bumper and behind all of these a perfectly detailed brand new Dodge Charger. Mail trucks, army vehicles, garbage roll off trucks, an Ambulance (not called to this scene!), countless motorcycles and a car that was made up of so many different parts, it didnt know what it was.

The people were just as diverse. Young, very young, old, very old, middle, indeterminable, very dirty, clean, preppy, black, white, yellow, brown, one that looked kinda blue and one so white I suspect she was a vampire caught out to late and heading for her casket. People were headed in all different directions, some going to a bike race at Ladiga trail, to Wal Mart, Jacks, Sonic, to the dump (it was free dump day), Ft. McClellan for the Longleaf festival. Some folks were really dressed up, I could imagine they were headed to a wedding or a funeral. I saw a few that looked like they were headed to the beach, we don't live near a beach....

Anyway, people of all walks of life drove by me yesterday, some very friendly some wouldn't even look my direction. Like if they didn't look at me, I was invisible. I marched my invisible self right by their window, stared at them on the way by going to the next vehicle. I wasn't going to bite, or make them feel bad for not giving, its your choice and I understand if you don't want to give, cant, already have or don't care. This doesn't bother me, if you ask what I'm doing and why, I'll tell you, other wise I will leave you alone. That is not my point though. Lots of people gave, everything from penny's in their ash tray to $10 bills from their wallets, and believe me EVERY SINGLE PENNY IS IMPORTANT!!! Some folks apologized to me, saying all I have is a quarter or a few cents, and for some, I believe that is truly ALL they had. One old, old man gave me $6, I saw his wallet, thats all that was in there, it was empty after he handed me those two bills. I asked him if he meant to give me the five. He said, "yes dear, my wife died of cancer" and he drove off, leaving me near tears. And thats why I stand in the road and beg for money for the American Cancer Society!

I don't remember what he was driving, what he had on or what he looked like. He was old, he had lost his wife to cancer, he shared this with me and said thank you, he gave me all he had and that is the best reason I could ever find to volunteer for Relay for Life, to give all I can to find a cure so no one else has to ever say, "My wife died of cancer"